Wide Awake, Now
by McMahonHelmsleyEraFan
Summary: After Survivor Series 2001, Stephanie has lost just about everything. Her marriage to Hunter may soon be added to the list. What she woke up to that morning might change her life forever. A good amount of appearances by Chris Jericho, also. Started this before I fine-tuned my writing style...it gets better around halfway through lol
1. It All Fell Apart Near Survivor Series

Survivor Series 2001

She screeched as she watched her team lose. It wasn't the team losing per se, which had her yelling as loud as her lungs would allow…it was what she had invested in the event, and in the team.

Which was-well, everything she owned just about.

Stephanie sank into the cushions of what just might be the last leather couch in an arena locker room that she would ever sit on in her life. "I have nothing left," she sobbed into her hands "nothing! What am I gonna do?" She allowed her head to drop to her knees.

She didn't know how long she had been sitting like that and the next thing she knew the room she was in was suddenly overflowing with Alliance members.

Some were yelling, some were muttering, and some were…_crying? _Stephanie shook her head slowly. _I'm the one who had every dollar of mine invested in these good for nothing idiots and they have the nerve to be crying! _She didn't bother attempting to acknowledge or console any of them. She did, however, give her brother a sympathetic pat on the back as he moped his way inside the room, as she was leaving. _I hope he doesn't expect more, it's his fault I'm in this fucking mess anyway. _

Three hours later, she entered – well, rather, stumbled into her hotel room after what seemed like an eternity of driving around aimlessly, waiting for her husband to call…then waiting for him to return her call and drowning her sorrows in various shots of various drinks whose names she could no longer remember, at the bar downstairs.

She blamed one person for her current state: her oh-so loving husband, Hunter. She scoffed. "Bastard can't even call to offer sympathy," she mumbled into her pillow.

Deciding that she still felt too hurt, she also decided that she apparently hadn't drank enough. She fixed herself up as quickly as possible, and stumbled right back out of the door.

She tapped her foot on the floor impatiently as the elevator stopped on just about every damn floor to pick up, or let someone off. _I just had to be on the 25th floor, didn't I? _She thought dryly. Once the elevator was empty again, she reached into her purse and took out her compact mirror to check herself once again.

The elevator dinged. She knew it hadn't been long enough for her to be where she needed to be so she didn't bother to look up.

"Princess, I can tell you right now, you look like shit. There's nothing you can do about it, to stop staring."

_That…voice! I hate that voice. _She slowly lifted her head to confirm her suspicion. She groaned, narrowed her eyes and spat out, "what the fuck do you want, Jericho?"

He chuckled.

_Fucking bastard is laughing at me, how dare he! _

"Oh nothing. Believe me, had I known you would be on this elevator, I would have taken the stairs," he grinned. He rubbed his chin in thought, then added "actually I take that back. I get to be among the first to make fun of your failure."

Her cheek ticked, with her irritation.

"So, Steph, tell us, how does it feel to be among the poor now?" He said in his best interviewer voice and held out his hand as a faux microphone.

"Oh, go to hell!" She snapped, and shoved his hand away. "Go find something better to do. Don't you annoy me at work enough?" She briefly paused to compose herself, but not with the intention to have to hear him say "umm…no."

Her anger welled up again, "listen you jackass, I do not have to put up with your crap anymore, we are not at work!"

He laughed loudly.

Her eyes widened in surprise. _What the hell is so funny?_

He continued laughing.

She slowly shook her head. _Maybe he's finally lost it._

His laughing got louder…something she didn't think was possible. _Was that? Tears!_ She had to ask.

She rolled her eyes before throwing her arms in the air in defeat and confusion, "what is so damn funny?"

After a minute or so more of laughing and holding his side, he composed himself enough to say, between laughs "you."

She nodded, slowly, not comprehending his point.

He noticed. "You said that we're not at work so you don't have to put up with me."

"Right. Believe me I meant it. Forgive me, I still don't see what's funny about that…."

He walked over and patted Stephanie on the head and shook his head in pity. She threw his hands off her and backed away.

"Dear, have you forgotten you don't have a job? I couldn't annoy you 'at work' anyway!" He began to laugh again.

_No. He. Fucking. Did. Not. Just. Say. That._ She blinked slowly, not sure what to say. Technically, he was right. But that didn't mean she wasn't pissed. Severely pissed. "Go fuck yourself Jericho," she all but screamed. "Ugh!" She grumbled loudly, pressed a button and walked off the elevator that had long since dinged, but she failed to notice during her confrontation.

After she had downed what seemed like two entire bottles of Jack Daniels, she stood to her feet slowly, unsurely.

"Shit," she cursed as she lost her balance and fell right back to her seat at the bar. She placed her head down at the bar, her hair masking her face.

"Hey, are you okay," a male voice inquired.

She mumbled out, "no."

"Want me to take you to your room? I mean you are staying in this hotel, aren't you?"

"Yeah. Room 2511"

"Well, come on, let's go." He extended his hand toward her.

She raised her head a bit, and nodded, and took hold of his hand as he helped her to her feet.

Stephanie's eyes widened and the guy lost his grip on her hand as he cringed. She yelped as she fell.

Not to the seat.

To the floor.

In a heap.

As much as he disliked her, he couldn't leave her on the floor half-conscious like this. "Crap. Sorry," he quickly apologized and helped her to her feet.

"No. No, no, NO!" she exclaimed, "I will make it to my room on my own!" She took a breath. "I don't need your damn help, get your filthy fucking hands off of me!" She wrenched her arm free of his grasp.

She regretted it instantly.

She spun a little and attempted to regain her balance, and fell directly on her face.

She groaned loudly.

Chris Jericho shook his head at the woman laid out at his feet.

_This is pathetic. Stephanie McMahon Helmsley, Billion Dollar…. Ex-Billion Dollar Princess, drunk as a sailor, face down on the carpeted floor of a bar in a hotel._

She was in no state to reject his generosity anyway, so he grabbed her arm and dragged her up forcefully.

"Wha-what are you doing," she stammered out.

"Taking you to your room," he stated curtly.

"Why?"

"You're too drunk to get there on your own," he shrugged.

"You're drunk too! I can make it there fine. Thanks!"

"I'm not as drunk as you, I can still walk straight so I don't agree with you and I seriously doubt the floor does, either," he chuckled.

"It's just my shoes! The heels are too tall. If I take them off, I can walk just fine!" She said as sternly as she could manage and pointed at her stilettos.

He relinquished his hold on her and stared intently. _Why is it that drunk women always blamed their shoes for their inability to walk? _

He smirked as he watched her struggle. He wished he had a video camera-this was priceless.

As expected, Stephanie tipped over and he rushed to grab her before she was on the floor again.

Stephanie sighed, rolled her eyes and didn't protest as he continued walking her the elevators.

In the elevator there was a rightfully uncomfortable silence.

Stephanie was leaning against the side, as Chris stared at the numbers of the floors they were passing, willing them to go faster.

_His blond hair reminds me of Hunter. He's kind of cute too…like Hunter. Nice body. Hunter's is better though. Christ, let me stop staring before he sees me_. She turned away and stared at the wall.

Stephanie was unusually quiet, thus Jericho turned to see if she had passed out against the elevator.

She had her eyes averted elsewhere. He didn't realize he was staring until he began to mentally compliment her. _Brilliant blue eyes, auburn hair…it looks so sexy when it's wavy like that. Great body. Why did I make fun of those implants again?_

He smacked himself in the head at the things running through his mind. I cannot _– will not think of Stephanie as anything other than a brutal, bottom feeding, two dollar-_he couldn't remember the rest of his insults and he shrugged-_trash bag ho_.

He wasn't, he couldn't!

But he did…and he continued to stare.

She felt his eyes.

She didn't want to, but she did.

And she…liked it?

_Nah. _

The elevator dinged.

"Are you going to stay in here all night or what?" Stephanie's voice brought him out of his daze. She chose not to mention his blatant ogling of her.

He rolled his eyes, grabbed her, and led her down the hallway.

He stopped at her room and turned to face her.

He shifted uncomfortably. "Well…goodnight."

_What-no wisecracks? No jokes? Is he being…polite? _"Yeah. Bye," she said softly.

She got out her key, swiped it and opened her door.

He was…still standing there.

_He…looks so cute…like a scared little boy, standing there_. It was hard to believe this was the asshole of a man who trashed her every chance he got. But, as she studied him, she saw him as…nervous.

The thoughts of him from the elevator entered her mind. And thus, Hunter, entered her mind.

She shouldn't be having these thoughts; she had a husband.

She turned away from Chris, about to go into her room when she stopped suddenly.

_Hunter. _

_I'm stopping my thoughts because of…Hunter? _

_The hell?_

_He has put me on the sidelines for months, berated me for just trying to be there for him and help and support him. And tonight, of all nights, he didn't even bother to call, or even have the decency to return my calls after I lost everything I owned on national television. _She shook her head slowly. _Fuck Hunter!_

She turned back to Chris and she was sure.

_I'm hammered; he's drunk, oh well. _

She kissed him.

He kissed back.

They went inside her room.

Closed the door.

She knew what was going to happen, she wanted it to.

_Don't I? _

With her doubts, she led him further into her room anyway.

A shrill sound echoed in her ears. Her head felt like mathematicians were clacking away at calculators, figuring out taxes in her head. She hated math, and shook her head at her analogy.

The shrill sound continued, and through the excruciating pain in her head, she realized it was her cell phone, which was yelling, and vibrating on the table across the room.

She was about to get it, and then she realized she couldn't.

Something was weighing on her.

She glanced down…

_Blond hair._

_Hunter?_

She was naked.

From what she could tell, so was the blond blob.

It had to be Hunter.

Right?

She threw an arm over her aching head as she attempted to recall the events of the previous night.

She remembered being pissed off at Hunter.

_Because?_

_Think, Stephanie Marie. _

She remembered now, the Alliance lost.

Hunter…didn't call.

She called him?

_Did I?_

Yeah, yeah she called him.

_He didn't call back._

_I was upset._

_I drank…lots._

She began to wonder if after her intoxication, Hunter showed up to console her.

It was the only rational thing she could come up with.

If that wasn't the case, then…

It can't be the case.

He never called.

I know that…

Her eyes widened and a gasp escaped her lips as she came to grips with what she knew she had done.

_I cheated._

_On my husband._

_Shit!_

The shrill cry…had stopped.

Curious, she threw the arm, and half the body off of her and got up, managing to wrench a sheet from under the blond heap.

She didn't care if she interrupted their slumber; she had just fucked up her life…literally.

She walked over to her phone and picked up the annoying device.

She checked her missed calls.

_Hunter._

She sighed.

The blond in the bed stirred slightly and groaned.

Stephanie turned her gaze back to that direction.

The vibrating of the device in her hand startled her, and she dropped the phone.

"Shit," she cursed, and bent down to pick it up.

New voicemail.

"Shit," she cursed again, knowing it was probably Hunter.

She'd bite.

"Baby, it's me. Where are you? I've been trying to get in touch with you since last night…" Hunter's voice began.

Her face contorted in anger.

_Liar. _

_You have not. _

_I waited around all night for your call._

"I figured you would be at the hotel but you never answered the phone and when I tried your cell, it wouldn't let me leave a message for some reason."

Her expression softened.

"Anyway, call me when you get this, I'm worried about you, Steph, I saw the pay per view, I'm sorry, honey. Love you, bye."

Tears cascaded down her face and she sobbed as she replayed the message in her head.

He cared.

He actually cared.

And…he had watched the match and he did feel bad about what happened. He even tried calling her about it. She felt like such a bitch. Her anger had apparently been for nothing. Her drinking was only halfway justified…but even still, she couldn't forgive herself for the man who currently occupied her bed.

She caught a glimpse of the face, as the body turned over

And…she screamed.

He jolted awake, he yelled.

His head ached terribly and this woman's screaming didn't help.

He turned over; about to yell at the stupid woman he had obviously shared a room with the previous night.

He saw her face.

And…he screamed.

They screamed…together.


	2. Aftermath, Confrontations, and Bliss

Monday, November 19, 2001

Jericho's head was starting to pound even worse. He rushed over to Stephanie and shook her, trying to get her to stop yelling. It didn't work. He groaned loudly, "shut up. SHUT UP!"

She quieted and swallowed a lump in her throat she was not aware she had.

"Get out!" Stephanie spat at him as she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Look, I think we need to…" he started, but stopped and held his head in his hands as it continued to pound.

"Need to what? Huh? Need to talk? There is no reason, it's pretty obvious what happened!"

"But…" he started.

"But what? This does nothing to you, I am the one who had a life…and then this" she motioned to his state of undress "happened."

He sighed. _Okay, she has a point._

He took a breath to collect his thoughts and calm down. "What did last night mean, Stephanie?"

_Has he lost his fucking mind? I was drunk! _"Nothing. It meant absolutely nothing to me."

"Well," he started, unsure if he wanted to say this "what if it meant something to me?" He stared at his feet as he shuffled them around.

"That sounds more like a personal problem," she said icily, crossing her arms.

His eyes widened as he stared at this woman. _How can she be so…cold?_

He stood there, just staring, contemplating.

_What is he looking at? _

His poignant blue eyes, met her inquisitive pair as he softly asked, "do you want me to leave?"

Stephanie nodded hurriedly. "Yes, I do," she stated matter of factly as she stared a hole through him.

"Fine." He began to collect the various pieces of his clothing that were strewn about random areas in the room. "Do you mind?"

She blinked. "What?"

"I'm trying to get dressed here."

A burning hot sensation flushed across her cheeks as she walked into her bathroom, embarrassed. She wasn't ogling him or anything; she was just in a trance, thinking about everything. She locked the door behind her and turned the water on in the shower. She needed to wash everything away.

_Wash 'him' away. _

_All of it, down this drain._

Her thoughts stopped suddenly, as she rushed to the toilet and threw up.

_I so deserve that for drinking so much…_

A tear slipped down her cheek as she stared at herself in the mirror. She shook her head. She had finally become what Chris Jericho had always called her: a disgusting ho. Here she was standing in her mirror, tears cascading down her-pale from throwing up-face and to the floor as she stood in a sheet.

A sheet, which had encompassed her and a man. A man that was so not her husband.

She dropped the sheet to the floor suddenly, as if it were on fire.

She heard murmuring and then a door close, and she knew Chris was gone.

_Jericho! Not Chris. Too personal. Only call him Jericho! _She slapped her arm to scold herself.

She stepped under the hot water and began to let her problems and worries slip away.

An hour later, she was fully dressed, sitting on the edge of the couch, pulling on her platform boots. She didn't feel like blow-drying her hair; so she allowed it to hang loose around her shoulders and down her back, water occasionally dripping from the ends. She felt much better after having some aspirin for her splitting headache, followed by a small bowl of fruit, via room service.

Her cell phone rang loudly from the bedroom. She really didn't want to go back in there but she had no choice.

She flipped it open and placed it to her ear. She did not even get the chance to greet the person…

"Stephanie, hello?"

_Hunter. _She sighed. "Yeah. Yeah, it's me."

"Steph where the hell have you been? Did you get my message?"

"Yeah."

"Why didn't you call back?"

She snapped. "What are you, my fucking baby-sitter?"

Hunter's eyes widened and he stared at the phone in his hands. _What the hell is her problem? _He was about to get an attitude right back at her but she interrupted.

"I'm sorry," she quickly apologized "I'm just on edge right now. I shouldn't have snapped at you."

"It's okay…However, I am your husband, you know. I am entitled to some information. Especially when don't hear from my wife all day, all night, and the following morning," he half-joked.

A smile crept across her face. "I know, I'm sorry. I've just been wallowing in my own misery over what happened last night." She was referring to more than just Survivor Series, but he so did not have to know that.

"Understandable. You know, if I was well enough to have competed, I would have won that match for you," he said seriously.

"Yeah, I know. It's okay, though, I'll get over it. Once I get used to my poverty."

He laughed at her dramatics. "Babe, you are not in poverty. Most of what you own is already paid for and for what isn't I will help. I am married to you, you know."

"Somehow I knew you would do that," she laughed. "But still, it won't be the same, I won't be in the wrestling world anymore."

"Yes, you will," he sighed. "You forget who you're married to, love. I am The Game, Triple H, and when I come back, you will be right by my side."

Half of her wanted to jump for joy. The other half, wanted to scream and cry. When exactly did he start to care about her so much-and actually show it? This was new. Had she known this, she may not have…

_No, Stephanie. Do not blame your severe mistake on him._

"Baby, I'm getting another call. Talk to you later?"

"Of course. I love you, Stephanie Marie McMahon Helmsley…damn, you need a shorter name."

A laugh emanated from her "I know. And, I love you too, Hunter Hearst Helmsley. Bye."

"Bye."

She clicked over.

"Hello?"

"Steph, it's me, Shane."

Her brow arched in intrigue. "What's up?"

"Dad wants us at Raw tonight."

To say she was shocked was an understatement. "Oh yeah? What for?"

"He didn't say. He just called and informed me, and told me to relay the message to you. I think this could be a good sign for us, baby sis."

"Maybe. But I wouldn't get my hopes too high, just in case."

"Yeah, good point. See ya later."

"Bye."

Later, Stephanie nervously paced the parking lot of the arena. So far, North Carolina had brought her nothing but depression and confusion, but she hoped it would get better tonight.

_It just has to._

A breath she didn't realize she had been holding, escaped her as she saw her brother, Shane walk up to her. Whatever happened tonight, at least he was there with her.

They received numerous glares as they walked through the backstage area. They expected no less, and were prepared for it.

What they were not prepared for, however, was not having their own locker room. Their father had thrown them to the wolves, so to speak as they each had to sulk in the locker room of their respective gender.

A couple of hours later, Vince McMahon's music blared throughout the arena and the crowd went wild, as did the superstars backstage.

Stephanie was just sitting in the locker room quietly, her gaze transfixed on her father. The divas in there turned to her, awaiting a response. She glanced around, realizing they were all staring at her, and she plastered a smile on her face and clapped slowly, until they all turned back to the television.

An audible sigh was heard from Shane, as his father began to talk about him and his sister. He knew Vince would be calling for them to come down, any minute.

On her way to the ring, Stephanie stopped suddenly. Chris Jericho stood, blocking her path.

"Move," she said simply, placing her hands on her hips.

_She is so cute when she's getting pissed off. _"No." He smirked audaciously.

"Move." She narrowed her eyes.

"No." He crossed his arms over his chest.

"Move, please?"

_Please? Is that begging, I sense? _"Not until we talk."

Stephanie rolled her eyes upward. "I don't want to talk, damn it. My father is going to call me to the ring any minute. I may get my job back. I do not have time to deal with you."

He still didn't budge.

"Hey, I think she said to move."

_Oh, hell no_. Stephanie spun around to see Kurt Angle behind her.

_Keep trying…keep trying._

_He is so not worth it, Stephanie Marie._

It was no use. Her temper flared and she punched Kurt right in the face, with everything she had. His head snapped to the side violently and he stumbled into the wall. He ran his tongue on the inside of his cheek and recognized the familiar coppery taste of blood. He looked at Stephanie and shook his head "I can't believe you just did that!"

Another punch. Not so painful as the first. "And. I can't believe YOU have the nerve to talk to me after how you screwed the Alliance over. I lost everything because of you, you sanctimonious son of a bitch!" She whacked and kicked him repeatedly in various places as she spoke.

Kurt's hands were up defensively trying to fend off Stephanie's attack. It wasn't working, and as she kicked him in the balls, his right fist reared back, about to knock the holy hell out of her, when he felt himself being pulled back, by his arm.

"You're not going to touch her." Kurt turned around to see Shane standing there. If looks could kill, Kurt would be 6 feet under by now.

Kurt scoffed, and Shane's grip on his wrist tightened. He grimaced.

"I agree with Shane-O, for once. Come on, Junior," Chris said, as he grabbed the arm Shane held, and led him away from the siblings.

"What was that all about?" Shane asked as he watched their retreating forms. "Since when does Jericho defend you?"

Stephanie shrugged. She sighed in relief as she heard her father's blaring voice, yell for her and Shane.

Shane placed his arm around his sister, as they approached the ramp.

_I feel guilty for getting her involved. I suppose I'll have to be the sensible one here; my sister will probably just throw a fit as usual. Hopefully I get to speak first, and my maturity over this situation will rub off on Stephanie, and Vince will pity his only children and let us back in the WWE._ "You ready?" Shane asked, looking down at his sister.

"Not really, but I don't have a choice," she gave a tiny smile.

"Exactly, so get it together, little sis," Shane said reassuringly as they walked out from behind the curtain.

_Wow, Dad is really laying in the humiliation. No pyro, no music…the "boo" chant that's echoing through the arena is the only way to tell we're coming down._ Stephanie sighed. "Here goes nothing."

Shane sighed and shook his head as he watched his sister sit on the ground, screaming and crying, refusing to release the security guard's leg. _This is just pathetic; she's acting like a 2 year old! _He was sick of watching this.

"Stephanie, get up," he ordered.

"If I let go, there's no way we'll ever get back in!" Stephanie wailed, and continued to cling to the guard's leg.

_I pity the poor man. His leg is probably asleep. _"Stephanie Marie McMahon Helmsley, get your ass off of that security guard right this instant. I am NOT kidding!" He hated actually having to be the scornful older brother, but he had no choice, his sister wasn't listening any other way.

Stephanie winced as she heard her brother's acidic tone. She nodded her head solemnly and reluctantly released her hold on the security guard.

"Crazy bitch," mumbled the security guard as he walked back toward the arena doors.

_I heard that_. Stephanie reached for her brother's awaiting hand and he helped her up. She brushed herself off and smoothed down the bottom half of her outfit as Shane walked her to her car.

"Drive safe," Shane said, kissing Steph on the cheek.

Her brother always put her in a better mood. "Always. You watch yourself, too," she smiled, speeding off.

Wednesday, December 19, 2001

Despite being kicked out of the WWE kicking and screaming-literally-things had since been going well for Stephanie. With all her free time, she directed all of her energy into fixing her marriage and helping her husband prepare to get back in the ring.

At first she didn't think it was such a great idea, because a few months ago when she wanted to help him, he was having none of it. But then again, the injury was fresh, so he was rightfully grumpy. What else could she do, but move on with 'her' life and let him take care of himself however he saw fit? Looking back on her decision to have some space between them, she realized that was where everything went wrong. Had she stayed strong, through Hunter's constant rebuttal of her help, she may have never got caught up in the Alliance mess that shattered her finances, or the resulting Jericho mess which shattered-well nothing yet, just her mind; as her conscience was eating away at her.

It was even more difficult for her being that lately her husband was so…_wonderful._

_I know no other way to describe it._ Stephanie sighed. She wasn't sure if she should tell him about what happened after Survivor Series…it might screw up everything they worked so hard to get back. And, thus far, she had no reason to tell him.

_Just pointless information, he will never need to know. It's not hurting anybody except me, and soon, it won't even be on my mind. _She smiled.

"Hiya," Hunter's voice interrupted her thoughts as he entered the room. He pressed a chaste kiss to her lips before plopping down on the couch.

"Hiya back," she replied, grinning, "I was just thinking about you."

"Oh yeah?" He kissed her on the lips. "Good thoughts I hope."

"Of course, baby." She got up from the chaise and sauntered over to the couch he was currently occupying and stood in front of him.

She reached behind him and pulled out a small remote. She aimed it at the stereo and a slow tune came on.

Hunter eyed her intently as her body began to sway to the soft music emanating from the stereo. They hadn't had sex since September. _I was so caught up in recovery that I began to completely neglect Stephanie. Then, she bought ECW and got so busy. No, no, focus on your wife, moron…wow, she looks so sexy, dancing like that_. As the song started to go off, Stephanie eased onto his lap and began kissing and sucking on his neck. "It's gonna be a long night…" he managed to get out almost breathlessly.

She pulled back to stare at the brilliant hazel eyes she could so easily get lost in, as she took her top off, "I wouldn't have it any other way." _Our Christmas looks very promising._

Monday, January 7, 2002

Hunter sighed. He didn't know what to do or think where it concerned Stephanie. He would swear the woman had some type of multiple personality disorder. After Survivor Series, she had been depressed and angry, then just - incredible. He thought he was getting his old Stephanie back - the carefree one who gave just the right amount of love and support. He had been mistaken.

After Christmas passed and his return date approached she went completely insane, it appeared. All she ever talked about was his return, and how "they" were going to make such an impact during his return at Raw. He loved her, and definitely wanted her around for his return, but he wanted to do this himself, he had to. It was up to him to show the world that he hadn't lost a step. Stephanie, however, was not hearing any of it. She would just rant and rave, actually having the audacity to say that she made him who he is today and without her he would be nowhere.

He was never one to deny his wife's previous influence and help. Nevertheless, what she was saying was just intolerable. He was perfectly fine where he was, prior to her entrance in his life.

_I damn well could have made it on my own. I was on my way to the top, then here she comes and all of a sudden she acts like I was some loser, jobbing to Funaki on Sunday Night Heat or something. _He smirked at the thought.

He rolled his eyes as his wife continued to blabber on about how wonderful she was, how great she made him, and consequently how amazing they were together and how even more fucking incredible they would soon be.

_I refuse to listen to any more of this. _Hunter's hand went up as he cut her off "Steph, listen. For my sanity, please, shut up."

"How could you say that?" Her eyes were wide and she looked like she was about to start crying.

"You are annoying me right now. Besides, it's my time to go out there and show these people that The Game has returned, stronger than ever. See ya later." He kissed her on the lips quickly.

She pouted, "I'm not coming with you?"

"No," he said quickly, "not this time, I need to do this. Just me."

Her pouting continued, but she leaned up to kiss him on the cheek anyway, "ok, baby, you show them how awesome we're going to be again."

He chose to pay no attention to that comment, and just gave her an affectionate pat on the ass before walking out, to which she beamed.

Stephanie sighed dreamily as she watched her husband beat the hell out of Kurt Angle. Everything in their lives was perfect.

Thursday, January 31, 2002

Hunter and Stephanie sat on the couch in their lavishly decorated hotel room. They smiled as they watched her segment. She was quite pleased with the way it turned out and she felt she came across really well, and that maybe people would get off her case already.

Jim Ross had conducted a sit-down interview with her. He said that since her failure with the Alliance she was hanging on desperately to her husband's coattails, to which she told the fans to wait and see what she was capable of. Stephanie said the fans should give her some credit for what she did this summer-not only nursing her husband back to health, but also buying ECW and forming the Alliance-she was the epitome of a career woman, and if she had never listened to her brother in the first place, she would be a success right now.

Hunter frowned. _She did not nurse me back to health, damn it._

J.R. asked about what had happened on RAW, when she accidentally cost Triple H a match against Booker T. She admitted to making a human mistake. Footage was then shown from RAW of the backstage blow-up between the couple and she looked like she was about to cry watching the footage.

She said it hurt her feelings, but she forgave Triple H, and that's what love and marriage were all about.

_That wasn't the first time, and it probably won't be the last, that we screw up. _She shrugged.

J.R. said there were rumors about infidelity early in their marriage. She said she would never cheat on her husband, and she couldn't believe J.R. was asking that question. J.R. then asked if she thought Triple H would ever cheat on her, and Stephanie said Hunter never even looked at other women, because there was no other women who was as beautiful, sweet, loving, and good in bed as she was.

Hunter grinned. _How right she is! _He kissed her on the cheek.

She smiled. I'm not _a total liar. He said "early" in our marriage. We passed "early" a long time ago. Not that that makes me feel any better about what I did or anything…_

J.R. asked about all the temper tantrums and yelling on TV, saying her actions on TV were sometimes childlike. Stephanie said that all fans see is what is on television, and they don't see how happy they are in day-to-day life. Stephanie said J.R. could take all the rumors and questions from fans and shove them. Stephanie said she would give J.R. personal answers-ones that he didn't want to hear. But as far as her marriage was concerned, she was going to prove to the world how much Triple H loved her. She thanked J.R. and left to go take care of something, saying it would prove to the world just how perfect her marriage was.

Sunday, February 3, 2002

_Oh, God. _She covered her hand with her mouth as she ran into the bathroom and threw up. _What the hell is wrong with me?_ She flushed the toilet and sat down on the floor. _I still feel sick and I am not leaving until whatever this is, passes. I feel too bad to get up and then have to come in here again._

As if on cue, Hunter walked into the hotel room and didn't see Stephanie anywhere. "Steph?"

No answer. _Where the hell is that woman?_

"Stephanie?" This time he was a little louder. He heard a slight moan come from the direction of the bathroom.

He entered to see his wife leaning against the bathtub with her head on her knees. Panic instantly struck him.

"Baby, what's wrong?" He gently helped her from the floor and lifted her chin so he could look at her face. She looked a little pale.

"I don't know. I feel sick and I just threw up," she nearly whispered.

Another question was on the top of his tongue, but Stephanie darted right out of his arms and back to the toilet, leaning over it, throwing up again.

He shook his head, wet a towel with cold water, held it to her head with one hand and held her hair back, with the other.

When she was finished, she cleaned herself up, and he carried her to the bed. It was obvious she needed some rest.

"Really, I feel better. No need to watch me like a hawk," she laughed as Hunter stared at her with a concerned expression.

"You are not fine, you were throwing up probably everything you ate this week, just ten minutes ago."

"Eh. Minor technicality. You can't keep me here all evening, Hunter," she said half-joking.

"Oh, no?" He eyed her, "watch me, Steph. I did everything I needed to do today; I am not going anywhere, and neither are you."

Stephanie sighed. _There is no changing his mind, oh well. _"Well, can you at least come lay down with me, to keep me company?" She asked, pouting.

"Since you asked so nicely, sure."

"It's also because you love me. Admit it," she grinned.

"Fine, you got me." He climbed into the bed next to her.

They lay there for a while just talking and watching television and a couple of hours later, they were both asleep.


	3. At Breakfast, Tantrums, and Happiness

Monday, February 4, 2002

Stephanie groaned softly and scooted closer to –sheets._ Cold sheets. The hell?_ Her eyes slowly opened and she squinted from the bright light pouring in from the windows. What the hell time was it for the sun to be shining this brightly? She blinked furiously, in an attempt to make her eyes adjust faster. When she could finally see, she confirmed her suspicion that she was in fact, in bed alone. She got out of bed and stole a glance at the clock. _11:35? God, I slept late. _She padded around the lavish hotel room barefoot, in search of her missing husband, calling his name whenever she entered a new part of the suite.

Sighing, she decided to call room service and get something to eat, since she had no clue where Hunter was at, and she was about to starve to death. "Hello? Yeah I want some breakfast. Oh," she chuckled, "I didn't think that far ahead, give me a minute." Her eyes scanned the menu, "ooh okay, I want three blueberry waffles. Hmm. Oh, and scrambled eggs…turkey bacon…oh and the fruit bowl. Oh yeah and some coff - err orange juice." She finished her order, her stomach growling at her. "20 minutes, tops? Okay, great, thank you." She hung up. _Just enough time for a quick shower. _While putting the phone down, a small piece of paper caught her attention. She picked it up and read it:

Steph,

You're probably wondering if I've left you for good. Nah, I'd never do that, I'm just kidding. Anyway, you looked so peaceful sleeping and I know you weren't feeling well last night, so I didn't have the heart to wake you. I went to the gym and I'll be back to get you for Raw.

Love you,

Hunter

She sighed with relief. The first line had scared the shit out of her, she would swear her heart stopped beating for a few seconds. "That asshole!"_ That unbelievably sweet, adorable ASSHOLE._ She smiled deviously – she would have to get him back for that one.

As she stepped out of the shower and began to dry off, she heard a knock on the door. _Ooh, it must be room service! _She shook her head at her excitement to have food - this was new. She shrugged it off. She quickly wrapped the towel around her semi-wet body and walked to the door. As she opened it, she was greeted with the heavenly sight and smell of all that she ordered, as the cart entered her room. She decided to be nice, and tip the young man a fifty. It would have been a hundred, but she had caught him checking her out as she searched through her purse for money. She inwardly laughed.

"Thank you." She said, smiling politely.

"No trouble at all. Thank _you." _He looked her up and down, grinning like an idiot and nodding his head approvingly. She was quite enticing and he wondered exactly where the beads of water that he had seen on her neck, ended up.

_No he did not just wink at me. _"Okay, yeah, well thanks again." She said awkwardly and looked away from the kid, beginning to walk toward the door. He took that as his cue to leave. He dutifully nodded, gave a small smile, and walked out into the hallway. She closed the door behind him and shook her head. _Some guys are such pigs! God, a girl can't even walk around her own room in a towel without being ogled half to death! _

Stephanie tore through most of her breakfast in record time. As she went to take a bite of her eggs, suddenly she felt nauseous. She un-forked the piece of egg and took another slice of watermelon instead. She glanced back at the eggs. They were taunting her, she realized. They were sitting there all fluffy and yellow and whatnot, begging to be eaten. She sneered, speared a piece, brought it to her lips and held it there. _Not this again! _She dropped the fork as she covered her mouth and ran to the bathroom.

After throwing up, she cleaned herself up and went back into the bedroom. She picked up the plate to move it and caught a whiff of the eggs. She felt nauseous again and quickly put the plate somewhere far away from her and decided to just finish the fruit. _What the hell is wrong with me? I love eggs! _

After she finished her fruit, she got dressed. All the while, she thought about her incident during her breakfast. _It can't be. _She knew it could. Her and Hunter had been at it quite often, since their reconciliation. She needed to be sure, though, before she got too excited. She dialed a familiar number on her cell phone.

"Hey Riss, it's Steph. How have you been?" She smiled.

"Stephanie! I almost thought you dropped off the face of the earth," she joked, laughing slightly. "I've been good, what about you…recently?" She had to add that last part. She was very aware of how things were in November, but she hadn't really heard from Stephanie since then.

"I've been better" Stephanie said, honestly.

"What's wrong – problems with Hunter got you down?"

She blinked. "Eh? Oh, no, things are fine with us, it's something else," Stephanie replied, vaguely.

"Well, don't keep me in suspense, girl! What's up?"

"I-it-there may be a possibility that I'm pregnant." Stephanie finally managed to get out.

"I see. So you're just bugging because you don't know for sure, then?" She asked knowingly.

"Basically. Are you in town for this week's Raw?" Stephanie asked hopefully.

"Actually, yeah. Shane's helping with some behind the scenes stuff. The usual."

"Can you do me like a _really_ huge favor?" she wondered.

They hung up, and Stephanie felt better already. She'd know. Yeah. She would know, and wouldn't have to wonder or worry about it.

"Oh my gosh you are the best sister-in-law, ever." Stephanie said as she opened her door, hugging Marissa gratefully.

Marissa laughed, "hey remember what we said? No in-laws. We're sisters." She stated, smiling, returning the hug.

"True. But really, thank you so much. I thought I'd go completely insane with wonder."

"It's no problem, I was just sitting around when you called anyway. I'm supposed to meet Shane at the arena in an hour. Call me and let me know how it goes?" she asked, as she handed a bag to Stephanie.

"Of course. You'll be among the first to know." She promised, smiling.

"I better." She teased. "I leave you now."

"Okay, I'll call you later." Stephanie said, giving her a brief hug.

Marissa nodded, smiled and left. She really hoped Stephanie was pregnant. She tried to hide it, but she could tell that Steph was excited at the thought of becoming a mother.

After stalling unsuccessfully, ten minutes later, Stephanie was leaning against the counter, her brow arched as she stared at the stick in her hand.

Stephanie grinned like an idiot, as Hunter was pacing, yelling and occasionally throwing things around their dressing room. She was dimly aware of what he was talking about. Or - well, she wasn't listening at all, actually, but she could make a pretty good guess at what his tantrum was about. Earlier, he had requested Kurt Angle's presence and was greeted by Booker T instead. Hunter was kicking his ass and then Kurt interfered and hit him with the Olympic Slam. Shortly after, he stormed the halls, looking for Angle, and ended up in front of her father's office, the room protected by two cops. As they held him back, Angle opened the door and said that Vince just conjured up a match at No Way Out, with Hunter's WrestleMania Title Shot on the line.

Stephanie blinked, looking up into her husband's furious hazel eyes. The way he was looking at her, she assumed he must have asked a question, or was expecting some type of reaction or comment from her. "I-huh-what do you mean by that?" She took the safe route. One that didn't necessarily signal that she wasn't listening at all.

Hunter enunciated for her "I asked. What. Are. You. Smiling. About?"

"What?" She shrugged. "I can't smile? You always said you loved my smile."

Hunter looked at her, blinking slowly. "I-you-that isn't the point, Stephanie!" He said incredulously, his voice rising in volume as he threw his arms in the air.

"Well what is the point, Hunter?" She asked, smirking the tiniest bit.

He narrowed his eyes at her. "I don't believe you! Here I am, getting consistently screwed over by the people in this company – in your family, no less and you're sitting here smiling as if there was actually something to be happy about!"

_Oh but there is. _"I have news." Hunter stared at her, annoyed at her vagueness. She managed a smile and continued, "news that will change your entire life."

Hunter looked at her doubtfully. "Really? And just what news is that Stephanie?"

Stephanie took note of his confident smirk and the way his arms were now crossed over his chest._ He must think I'm going to say something petty_. _I look forward to wiping that smug look off your face, dear husband of mine._ She hated him sometimes - that look he gave her, but damn it all to hell, she loved him even more. They just – always played these mind games, trying to one up each other and she didn't know why. To be honest, she should be sick of it. But she wasn't. Half of her just wanted to have a normal, loving relationship with Hunter. The other half; got amusement out of these games they played; satisfaction when she would actually win one; and turned on even more by Hunter when he won. It was near impossible for them to be a normal, loving couple. They were so not normal people to begin with and normality would probably bore them both to death.

"I will make my announcement in the ring." She placed her hands on her hips. "Tonight." She replied cunningly, and leaned back into the cushions of the leather couch, with a self-satisfied grin, leaving Hunter completely bewildered.

_What is that damn woman plotting now?_ It seemed she was always up to something. There was always some new plan being perfected, in that pretty little head of hers. Half of him was entranced and curious to know what she was up to this time. The other half – _must be the smarter half_, he mused – feared what she was up to. Oh well. Soon enough he would find out, and there was no need to stress about it now. Stephanie and her mischievous ways would drive him completely insane, if he allowed it to.

"So next week, live on Raw, we'll renew our wedding vows!" Stephanie said in a high-pitched, excited voice, smiling brightly.

"That is _the_ stupidest idea I have ever heard." Hunter stated, shaking his head at Stephanie.

_Maybe he'll warm up to it if I explain. _"The fans made me do this because they think I'm riding your coattails, they've lost all respect for me."

So that's what this was about. Not him, not their failing marriage, as she had vehemently stated just a couple minutes earlier. It was about her. It always was! "No." He stated calmly, simply.

_No? This isn't going right! _"I-you-but Hunter, you have to agree to do this." Stephanie said, staring at him.

There was something in her eyes he couldn't quite read. It wasn't pleading. It was more like a flicker of a power trip. _Huh. She sure did say I 'have to'. _He snapped. "Why? Why do I have to do this Stephanie? Huh? Because you're the Billion Dollar Princess? Because you always get your way?" He yelled at her quickly, furiously, not backing down. He refused to acquiesce to her stupid idea.

Hunter turned away from her. He could see the unshed tears and he really didn't want to sit here and watch her as she would probably break down any minute. How fucking selfish was his wife exactly? He'd had his ass handed to him by Kurt Angle an hour ago and then five minutes later, been further screwed over by _her_ father. All Stephanie ever thought about was Stephanie. This bullshit she had concocted wasn't for them.

Stephanie sobbed as she watched her husband, about to leave the ring. "Hunter – Hunter it's because I'm pregnant!" She yelled out abruptly. _Shit_. She didn't mean to say that…did she? She wanted Hunter to want to make their marriage work because he truly wanted this, and her. _Too late now. _She continued to cry, her head bowed as she awaited a reaction – any reaction, really. She felt the ring shift slightly and she looked up, realizing Hunter was coming towards her.

Instinctively, she flinched ever so slightly. She wasn't sure why she did, but nevertheless hoped he hadn't noticed it.

He noticed. _God, she's afraid of me…_He stepped towards her carefully, not wanting to scare her off. How ironic, his own wife was afraid of him now. He really was an asshole. From the way she just stood there, whimpering, he could tell she couldn't read his expression. That's how he wanted it.

When he reached her he smiled. It was a beautiful smile. _He's happy about this! _Stephanie wanted to wrap her legs around him, but he was twirling her around in the air. She was so happy. This moment, was perfect. Her life, was finally perfect. _Oh, hell. _"Hunter? I'm going to puke." She said carefully.

"Oh. Shit. Sorry. Heh." He put her down finally and he saw the relief come across her face. He put his head to her stomach. He couldn't believe that life; life that they had created was in there. The entire world could be falling down around him and he wouldn't care. He had his wife, and his child. That was all that mattered.

"Fuck!" An angry Chris Jericho yelled, throwing his paper cup at the television. He sulked, as it didn't quite do what he wanted. Matter of fact, it didn't even reach the television. "Stupid cup." He mumbled, running his hands through his hair. This was totally going to screw up everything! He had finally thought Hunter and Stephanie were over for good, and then she goes and announces that she's pregnant. This sucked. A lot. At first he was going to play the waiting game, until they were definitely separated and then make his move for her. Well, now he'd just have to find another way. He grinned deviously. He _would_ find a way. Matter of fact, he had a _perfect_ way already in mind. But that wouldn't do, he couldn't just run to Hunter, blurting out what Stephanie had believed to have happened that night after Survivor Series. Stephanie would deny it most likely, and Hunter would have no reason to not believe her.


	4. After Raw, Visit to the Doctor

This chapter is in Stephanie's point of view except at the very end. It picks up right after her announcement on Raw.

Monday, February 4, 2002 (continued)

As Hunter and I sat in the limo, on our way back to the hotel I was very quiet. I had spent the better part of the ten minutes reflecting on everything that just happened this entire night. He looked so angry when I proposed the renewal of our vows. So hateful. I've seen him look that way before, obviously, but it was always directed at whatever poor sap was unlucky enough to be matched against him. All that anger and hate, directed at me, was certainly not a good feeling.

I sighed, and quickly shushed myself as I realized it had been audible. I hope Hunter didn't hear me. He'd ask what was wrong and there were too many answers I had for that one. I turned my head slightly. He had a tiny smile on his face as he stared straight ahead. I was safe.

I shook my head slowly and cursed myself. I told him I was pregnant. I told him - in front of millions of people, that I was pregnant. That wasn't exactly the smartest thing to say to my husband but whatever. What's done is done right? At least he seems happy.

"This is great!" His voice broke me out of my thoughts.

"Huh?" I didn't hear a damn word he said.

"I said this is great." He smiled and reached across the small space between us and picked my hand up and kissed it.

Despite my exhaustion, I returned the smile and nodded. I turned my head back to the window. Not that there was anything interesting going on. But at least it took my mind off all that was currently going on in my head.

The rest of our ride was spent in silence. Hunter must have thought it was a comfortable silence. That we were both shocked at what had transpired and at the fact we were going to be parents. If that were my only problem, I technically wouldn't have any then.

I'm not retarded. Sure, when that little stick in my hand told me I was pregnant, I was overjoyed. Then, that damn brain of mine had to go and kick in, reminding me of what happened at Survivor Series. It was exactly a month before Hunter and I threw out our nonexistent vow of celibacy to each other. It was close. _Very _close. I need to be less than eight weeks pregnant for this baby to be Hunter's. Every pregnancy is different. Just because I'm having some of the symptoms already doesn't mean I'm more than seven weeks pregnant. Screw that. I am seven weeks pregnant. Nothing else is acceptable. Unless of course it's even less than that.

A sigh escaped as I felt myself being lifted. We must be at the hotel. Hunter may want to celebrate the news. Scratch that. Hunter _will_ want to celebrate the news. Call me crazy but I just don't feel like it. If he questions me I'll just blame the baby.

Wednesday, February 6, 2002

What the fuck is taking this doctor so long? Sheesh.

I'm fine. I am _fine_. This baby is Hunter's. I know it. Call it mother's intuition. Yeah. This baby _is_ my husband's and in a few months when things are totally perfect, in a seemingly fit of hormonal rage I can tell him about the Jericho shit. By that time we'll be so damn close and our lives will be so perfect that he can totally get over it in no time. I'm so confident about that, I've even arranged to pay this doctor a thousand dollars to come to Smackdown and tell Hunter the results, even.

"With your help, honey, everything will be perfect between me and daddy." I whispered, rubbing my stomach. Right now, everything was perfect, but there were secrets and lies between Hunter and I. Our perfect world is fallacious. I can't allow it to stay that way forever. It will eat me alive. Plus, everyone knows secrets never stay secret. If Jericho has it his way I sure as hell know mine won't.

What the fuck is Jericho's deal anyway? He's acting like it was more than a one-night stand. The fact that it was even on that level makes my stomach churn into multiple knots. I don't know what possessed me to risk my marriage like that. I must have been drugged. I chuckled to myself and stopped as I heard the door open and saw the doctor walk in with what I'd guessed to be my chart, in his hand.

"Well, Mrs. McMahon-Helmsley, your at-home test was correct - you are pregnant."

I clapped excitedly, "I knew it! How far along am I?" That's what I needed to know. A mere number would determine the rest of my life. I crossed my toes.

"Oh yes." His eyes glanced over my chart "Nearly twelve weeks." He replied as his eyes rose to meet mine.

My toes uncrossed and I blinked rapidly. Hell no. This was a trick. A sick, sick trick and my lovely demeanor would make him feel guilty and he would give me the real number. Yep. "I'm sorry what was that?" I asked sweetly, smiling.

"Eleven, nearly twelve weeks along." No! I heard _that_ now tell me something different! "Are you alright?" His question was concerned, his brow furrowed. I jumped off of this stupid, cold ass table and walked to a mirror. Tears were streaming down my face and I was pale.

I laughed and turned to the doctor. "Seven." I felt my eyes darken.

The doctor looked at me like I was a psycho. Maybe I was. "I'm sorry?"

"Seven," I restated firmly, a hint of attitude seeping into my voice. "When you speak with my husband tomorrow you _will_ tell him that I am seven weeks along."

"Might I ask why?" He swallowed hard. Clearly I intimidate him. Good, I could use that.

"Sure you can, but I advise you not to. I'll even throw in another thousand for your troubles."

"When will I get it?" I got him…

"After you do as I ask." I replied authoritatively.

"Alright."

"Good, then I'll see you tomorrow." I replied, grinning, as I walked toward the door leading out of the room.

Doctor Johnson sighed as he watched her leave. Oh well. At least he had come out of this whole thing three thousand dollars richer. It was obvious all these people were screwing each other over. Not his problem.


	5. Unwanted Company, Manipulating

Wednesday February 6, 2002 (continued)

Stephanie walked briskly as she exited the hospital. There was no need to make another appointment, as Doctor Johnson wasn't her regular doctor anyway. She kept her head held high, intent on not letting anyone see the sheer turmoil she felt inside.

As she approached her silver, rental Mercedes she reached into her purse to take out the keys. Her purse fell to the ground with a loud thud, due to her shaking hands. She sighed and rolled her eyes upward and bent down to retrieve her things. She finally managed to take the keys out, only to not be able to actually get the car open. "Stop it!" She hissed at her rattling hands. She took a deep breath to try and calm her unstable nerves.

"Need assistance with opening the door there, Princess?"

Stephanie froze. _No. The God's cannot possibly be this cruel to me. _She turned around to face Chris Jericho. She closed her eyes hard. _Please go away…_She opened her eyes and much to her disappointment he was still there. She groaned loudly "No." she said lowly, avoiding his gaze. "No, I do not need assistance. Thanks!"

As her back was facing him yet again, he smirked. He had a good guess as to what was wrong with her. Not that she needed to know that. Ever. He chuckled as she fumbled with the keys and then dropped them. He lightly pushed her aside and bent down to get them and then unlocked her car. "There ya go." He smiled at her.

"Thanks…I think." He eyed her strangely, rolling his eyes. "Ok, ok, thank you." She relented.

"No problem. What's got your thong in a bunch today? Visit to the doctor didn't go over so well?"

Stephanie growled lowly then bit out, "What's it to you?" _Matter of fact, what the hell are you doing here, anyway?_

"I sense it didn't go well, then. Want to talk about it?"

She eyed him strangely. _Is he fucking serious?_ "With you? No, I'd rather pass." She turned the key in the ignition and the radio came on blaring. She recognized the song as Disturbed's "Stricken".

You walk on like a woman in suffering  
Won't even bother now to tell me why  
You come alone, letting all of us savor the moment  
Leaving me broken another time  
You come on like a bloodstained hurricane  
Leave me alone, let me be this time  
You carry on like a holy man pushing redemption  
I don't want to mention, the reason I know

He shrugged. "Suit yourself, Stephanie. Just know I'm here for you. You know, if you ever need to talk…or something."

That I am stricken and can't let you go  
When the heart is cold, there's no hope, and we know  
That I am crippled by all that you've done  
Into the abyss will I run

Stephanie blinked at him, surprised and unsure of what to say. She simply nodded, put the car in gear, and drove off.

You don't know what your power has done to me  
I want to know if I'll heal inside  
I can't go on with a holocaust about to happen  
Seeing you laughing another time  
You'll never know how your face has haunted me  
My very soul has to bleed this time  
Another hole in the wall of my inner defenses  
Leaving me breathless, the reason I know

Chris grinned as he watched her speed off. _She'll be mine. It's only a matter of time._

Tears began to form in her eyes as she listened to the words of the song. It was probably what Hunter would feel about her when/if he ever found out her secrets.

That I am stricken and can't let you go  
When the heart is cold, there's no hope, and we know  
That I am crippled by all that you've done  
Into the abyss will I run

The pooling tears in her eyes blinded her vision for a few seconds and then she heard a horn honk loudly in her direction and she swerved to the side of the road. She wiped her eyes in time to see the driver of a cherry red Nissan Maxima make his turn, and give her the finger as he drove by.

Into the abyss will I run

You walk on like a woman in suffering  
Won't even bother now to tell me why  
You come alone, letting all of us savor the moment  
Leaving me broken another time  
You come on like a bloodstained hurricane  
Leave me alone, let me be this time  
You carry on like a holy man pushing redemption  
I don't want to mention, the reason I know

That I am stricken and can't let you go  
When the heart is cold, there's no hope, and we know  
That I am crippled by all that you've done  
Into the abyss will I run

Into the abyss will I run  
I can't let you go  
Yes I am stricken and can't let you go

Stephanie angrily wiped at her eyes. She was actually considering telling Hunter the truth until she heard that song, his more than likely reaction. She knew he would be mad – furious at the fact that she slept with Jericho. In time, maybe he would forgive her, because she was piss-ass drunk and didn't know what she was doing. This baby being Jericho's completely ruined that idea. No fucking way would Hunter ever be able to get over what happened if he had a baby constantly in his face, reminding him of her accidental betrayal. _He's going to find out, it's inevitable. My relationship will be over eventually, I know that. Might as well hold on to him as long as I can._

After getting a quick bite to eat, Stephanie walked through her hotel door. A new confidence emanated from her and she wasn't sure why. The clock was ticking on her marriage but just the fact that she could control when her time ran out, made her feel better. It would end on her time and nobody else's. Jericho would never know that this child was his, if she had it her way. _Hopefully he's too stupid to consider the possibility that it's his._

Chris had blond hair even though it was lighter than Hunter's. Her husband would never think to question it, if the baby's hair was a bit lighter. _Brown is a more dominant color anyway; most likely the baby's hair will be my color._ Chris also had blue eyes that were a shade brighter then her sapphire ones. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that she just might be able to pass this baby off as Hunter's. Her child just needed to get the rest of its distinctive traits from her, and not that moron Jericho. _Huh. As soon as I'm medically cleared after giving birth I'll just get pregnant by Hunter for real…_

Stephanie sighed. _What the hell is happening to me?_ _This is by far the worst thing I've ever even contemplated doing!_ The sound of the door opening broke her out of her thoughts.

"Hey you." She greeted Hunter, swinging her legs to dangle off the side of the bed.

"Hey hot stuff. What's going on?" He asked her, smiling as he put down his duffel bag that contained his gym accessories.

Stephanie laughed, causing Hunter's smile to widen._ I so love this man_. "Nothing much, just came back from the doctor's." She said nonchalantly as he moved to sit on the bed beside her.

"You don't seem all that cheery about it." He noticed, frowning. "Something wrong?" He inquired, brushing a few stray hairs away from her face.

"No, nothing's wrong. I am cheery, shut up" She hit him in the arm, smirking. "I'm just tired, that's all. My hormones are all out of whack, I guess." She was lying right through her teeth because that wasn't her only problem but he so didn't need to know that.

"Well why don't you go to sleep then, my dear?" He asked, poking her arm.

She swatted his hand away "what, are you trying to get rid of me? I wanted to stay awake to at least see my husband for a few minutes."

"Aww, that's so sweet." He gushed, kissing her on the lips briefly. "No, I'm not trying to get rid of you. Why would I ever do that?"

_Well, two huge reasons are coming to mind right about now._ She shrugged and lay her head against his chest, inhaling his cologne and listening to his heartbeat. "I don't know." She said softly.

He placed his arm around her waist and ran his fingers in no particular pattern, on her side and occasionally her stomach. "So how did the appointment go?"

_Oh, fine. Everything's great except for this baby isn't biologically yours._ "It went fine. Everything's normal, so far." She closed her eyes, leaning into his touch more.

"That's good. Have you eaten yet?" He waited for a response, and then finally looked down to see she had dozed off. "Steph?" She didn't budge. "Stephanie." He said a little louder, tapping her shoulder.

"Huh?" She asked lazily, opening her eyes slightly, looking up at him.

"You're falling asleep on me, woman. Go get changed and come to bed." He said, standing up, pulling her along with him.

"Fine, you big meanie." She pouted, walking off towards the bathroom.

He laughed at her retreating figure and stuck his tongue out at her as she turned around to glare at him.

Thursday, February 7, 2002

"Remember what I told you. About 8 weeks, Doctor." Stephanie said sternly.

Doctor Johnson nodded "I remember. Where's my money? I'm leaving right after this."

Stephanie rolled her eyes and reached in her purse, taking out the small wad of bills. "Here. Screw me over, and you'll live to regret it." She warned him, holding the money out.

"I'm sure." He affirmed, taking the money.

They had both failed to notice the figure in the shadows, a mere ten feet away from them, listening intently." You should be more careful, Stephanie." The person muttered lowly, as they pressed 'stop' on the small tape recorder.

Hunter stood up as his wife entered the room. She leaned up to kiss his cheek. "Hunter, this is Dr. Aaron Johnson. Dr. Johnson, this is my husband, Hunter Helmsley." She introduced the two men as they shook hands and each took a seat somewhere in the room.

"So, doc, what's the word on my wife and kid?" Hunter asked rather informally. There was something about this guy that just irked the hell out of him.

"Well, as I'm sure she has told you, she is in fact pregnant. She's approaching 8 weeks and from the sonogram and other tests, I can tell you that her, and the child are doing just fine."

Hunter nodded and Stephanie spoke before he had a chance to. "We have our problems, just like any other couple but we've both realized what's important – the baby. We're going to renew our wedding vows on Monday." She flashed a smile.

Hunter sat in silence and inwardly groaned as he listened to Stephanie yammer on. He still wasn't too keen on the whole "renew the vows in front of the world" thing but she was pregnant and bound to be moody and he prefer not to have another huge fight with her. He just plastered a smile on his face, and occasionally nodded at Stephanie or the doctor, in agreement.

"Well, thank you for coming." Stephanie said as she stood up, shaking the doctor's hand.

"Yeah, what she said." Hunter stated nonchalantly, standing up also, shaking the doctor's hand.

Doctor Johnson chuckled slightly, "no problem. Congratulations." He said as he exited.

Chris Jericho seethed as the scene on his television ended. _The fucking asshole screwed me over! _Things were not going according to planned. The heart of this plan was Stephanie believing the child was his. He just told the doctor a simple number to give to her. The doctor questioned him of course, but an easy grand got him to shut up quickly. He didn't know how many weeks pregnant Stephanie was, and he didn't want her to actually know either, in case the number gave it away that this child couldn't possibly be his. Everything was so ruined right about now. He only had one trump card left to play but who knows if Hunter would even care, since he knew the baby was his anyway?

"Oh for fucks sake! What the hell is Kurt doing?" Hunter groaned as he watched Kurt Angle in the ring with a baby carriage. Hunter listened to Kurt as he blabbered on about how he supposedly cheated in the Rumble, so Vince granted Kurt a chance to go to Wrestlemania.

"All I have to do is beat Triple H, which is just a gimme. I should get a lot of attention but no, my news was overshadowed by Steph's announcement."

Hunter balled his fists up tightly and clenched his teeth as Angle continued.

"This is the first time I've felt sorry for a baby. Steph will be a great mom, but can you imagine Triple H as a dad? Even the fetus will be smarter. I'm not a scientist but Triple H is something else. He can forget the doctor- I know exactly what the baby will look like."

Despite Stephanie's pleas, Hunter stormed out of their room, on his way to the ring.

Kurt pulled the baby out of the carriage - a stuffed animal monkey with a giant nose. "Say hi, Triple H Jr.!" Kurt waved the monkey's hand. "I have a present for you - baby bananas!" Kurt pretended to feed Triple H Jr. "What? They're that damn good?"

As Hunter starts walking down the ramp Kurt introduces the baby. Hunter punches Angle and hits him with the carriage then throws the carriage and Triple H Jr. at Kurt.

"That's such child abuse." Stephanie chuckled slightly to herself. Even if Kurt was making fun of her husband, it was kind of funny anyway. She doubted her baby would look anything like that, Kurt was forgetting to include her looks in the picture anyway.

"Shut up!" Hunter said loudly, causing Vince's jaw to drop slightly. "This isn't about your rude comments on my injury or about how you're screwing me over at No Way Out." He took a breath to calm himself because the images of ripping out Vince's jugular were bringing him too much joy. "I'm here about your daughter. I don't know why but Stephanie has a soft spot for you. It would mean the world to her if you, her father, walked her down the aisle when we renew our wedding vows on Monday night."

Vince gulped. "I'll think about it."

"Why don't you think about the fact that you will never get anywhere near _my_ child." He said, glaring at Vince.

"Think about the fact that your match is now a Handicap match with Kurt Angle and Chris Jericho." Vince shot back and then motioned for Triple H to leave.

Stephanie cringed as she watched Hunter's body hit the mat with a loud thud, due to Kurt's Olympic Slam. _I have to go check on him. _She rushed out of the room and down to the ring.

As she checked on her husband, she failed to notice she was being watched intently. After hearing the crowd's reaction she slowly turned around to see Chris Jericho glaring at her.

She got up from her kneeled position by Hunter and backed away slowly as Jericho advanced towards her. _What the hell is he doing? I'm pregnant, damn it! _"Please." She said, touching her stomach. "Please, don't." She begged. "Please, I'm pregnant!"

Jericho nodded his head in acknowledgement and continued towards her. _I don't care if she's pregnant, she knows it's Hunter's anyway._

She gasped as her back hit the turnbuckle. Jericho didn't seem to particularly give a shit that she was with child. _Bastard. Ugh, I have to do this for my baby. _She looked around quickly to make sure no one was paying close attention and moved to the side a bit to make sure the camera couldn't see her. "It's yours." She said it so low that she wasn't sure if he heard her until he stopped suddenly, his expression still menacing, but she detected confusion, as well.

_What the fuck? What is she playing at? I just heard the damn doctor tell her she was 8 weeks along. _He didn't have time to contemplate the situation further, as he heard a loud pop. He turned around to see Kurt fall to the mat, before Hunter also smacked him in the face with the steel chair.

Stephanie willingly fell into her husband's arms as he hugged and kissed her. She wondered if Jericho heard her. _Maybe he just stopped so he could ask me to repeat myself._ _A girl can hope, right? _As she opened her eyes, she looked up to see Kurt hit Hunter from behind and the next thing she knew, she was on the mat, laid out with Hunter on top of her. She sucked in a sharp breath. _God, he's heavy._

She gave a slight smile as Hunter helped her to her feet, asking her repeatedly if she was okay. "I'm fine." She said softly. He looked at her, unconvinced. "Really, I'm fine." She said louder and nodded for emphasis. She smiled as he put his head to her stomach, kissing it. She ran her hands through his still damp hair. _Damn it, why can't this baby be his?_


	6. It's All About Us

Hmmm...so far chapter 6 has no reviews. Let me know if you guys still want me to continue updating this story...

Monday, February 11, 2002

Stephanie took a deep breath to calm her nerves. She was completely ready and now just standing in front of her hotel awaiting her limo. Her and Hunter had agreed to go to the arena separately because of the renewals, and she didn't want him to see her dress. Everything had been going amazingly well today but about an hour ago she got the sinking feeling that it was just to prepare her for something terrible. She had no clue what could possibly go wrong but that didn't stop her anxiety.

The ringing of her cell phone broke her train of thought.

"Yeah?" She answered distractedly.

"You don't sound too happy for a woman whose life is going perfect." Shane chuckled.

Stephanie sighed. "Who said my life was perfect?"

"Marissa relayed that little message to me after the two of you talked last Monday."

She laughed. _I should have known._ "Well that was right after I found out I was pregnant. Things have since changed."

Shane was intrigued now. "Oh? Do tell, little sis."

"I'm not sure if I want to." Stephanie chewed her lip nervously as she contemplated the pros and cons of telling her brother her problems.

"I'll find out eventually. I always do. No matter what it is, you know I'm here if you need me." He reassured her.

"I know." She affirmed. _I might as well tell him, I'm going insane keeping this to myself. _"Shane, I'm pregnant…" She paused as she saw someone by a limo holding a sign with her name on it.

He laughed loudly, "Well, _duh, _Stephanie."

"Hey! Shut up and let me finish, you dork!" She said half-seriously. She took his silence as her cue to continue. "I'm pregnant, but…" she took a deep breath. "It's not Hunter's." She expelled the breath tensely.

There was silence for almost a whole minute and Stephanie was getting more anxious by the second. "Shane, are you there? Say something." She fiddled with her wedding ring as she got situated in her limo after handing all her stuff to the driver.

"What the fuck, Stephanie? You better tell me how this happened and I mean _now!_" He scolded her.

She cringed as she heard his sharp tone. " Long version or abridged version?" She queried.

"I don't care! Start talking."

"Ok, ok, shit." _I don't know where to start. Ugh I have to do this before he kills me._ "AfterSurvivorSeriesHunterDidn'tCallIGotDrunkAndIdon'tRememberAndIwokeUpNaked." She mumbled, the words all together and incoherent.

"Hey, whoa calm down. Speak slowly and clearly, please." He wanted to laugh, but this situation was very serious. Laughter wasn't fitting.

Stephanie breathed deeply for a few seconds to calm down. "Ok, sorry. After Survivor Series, I didn't hear from Hunter all night. I left messages and he never returned any of them. I got really depressed and so I got wasted and Jericho helped me to my room. I don't remember much after that but I woke up next to him, naked."

Shane blinked. "Jericho? Chris Jericho?" He asked dumbly.

"Yeah, unfortunately."

"You're sure the baby is his, then?" Shane rubbed his temples. He so felt a migraine coming on from this whole thing. How did she get herself in these predicaments?

"Yeah – I mean the doctor I went to said I was like 12 weeks pregnant."

"But I saw you all on television…"he started. What the hell was she up to this time? "The doctor said 8 weeks."

"I know."

"Yeah, I'm sure. Steph, what did you do?"

She gulped. "Oh, not much I just paid him to say I was 8 weeks pregnant." She stated nonchalantly, twirling a lock of hair around her finger.

Shane couldn't believe his ears. Stephanie had paid off a doctor to make her husband think she was pregnant. With his child. Was she crazy? "Not much? Stephanie that is a hell of a lot! You have to tell Hunter!"

Stephanie felt anger course through her entire body. "Tell Hunter? Are you fucking insane?" She asked incredulously.

Shane snapped right back at her, "no but I think you are for doing what you're doing! This is by far the worst thing you have ever done. The sad part is you're not done, you're just beginning!"

"I'm not crazy, Shane. Can you honestly say that I am for doing everything I can to save my marriage? I love Hunter and I want us to work." She sighed and blinked rapidly to keep the pooling tears from falling.

"When you put it like that – no. But Stephanie you need to realize this won't work. Don't be all too surprised when it blows up in your face."

"I know it will fail eventually, Shane! There will be living proof that I'm lying in about 6 months!" She said bitterly.

"Then why are you doing all of this – lying, manipulating, paying doctors off, renewing your wedding vows?"

Stephanie laughed in a half-deranged manner. "This may not work for the long-term, Shane, but that's doesn't mean I can't keep my husband for as long as possible. Don't you see? Hunter's going to blow a fucking gasket when he finds out. He's going to hate me so much. I'm just prolonging the inevitable. Enjoying our time together. I'm not falling into a false sense of security or anything, if that's what you're worried about."

"That was precisely what I was worried about. I still don't like this, Stephanie but you make a lot of sense, I can understand your reasoning. Just make sure your guard is up. This may not even last 6 months. I saw the way Jericho was looking at you when Kurt was about to hit you that time. Don't expect him to stay quiet for long."

"Oh. I forgot something else."

_Son of a-_ "Stephanie what more can there possibly be?" He asked in amazement, slapping a hand over his eyes.

"He knows."

"Huh? Who knows what?"

"Chris. He knows the baby is his." She sighed.

"I-what-how?" He questioned, astonished.

"I told him…" She said carefully and pulled the phone a few centimeters from her ear.

"Just what possessed you to do that, Steph? Now your time is severely limited. Do you think he's just going to sit back with his feelings for you and knowing that you're lying to his hated enemy about it being his child?" Shane said, biting her head off.

_Does he think I did that I did it out of the goodness of my heart or some shit? _The familiar surge of anger coursed through her. "I fucking had to!

"Explain that to me." He demanded.

"He was going to fucking hit me, Shane! Did you not watch Smackdown?"

"That's right. I'm sorry I forgot about that. You had to do it for your baby…"

She touched her stomach. "Yeah. Yeah, I did." She looked up as she felt the limo come to a halt. "Look Shane I'm at the arena so I have to go. If you must, you can tell Marissa and Marissa only."

"Yeah, I got you. But, please, will you _seriously_ consider telling Hunter? I know you're just buying as much time as you can but did you not think about what you're doing to him? You're giving him a perfect world based on lies that will eventually be told. He'll hate you more for that, than for your actual actions with Jericho."

_Damn it! Why does he always have to be so fucking rational? Just ruin my day! _"I…have to go. Bye Shane." She quickly hung up before he had a chance to respond.

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Stephanie stood in a room separate from Hunter; admiring the new ring that he had just given her. It was beautiful and was adorned with a rather huge diamond. She sighed as she thought about the last words he said to her; that tonight was about them and not her father. _I know that but it doesn't mean I don't want him here. Fathers walk their daughters down the aisle, damn it! They just 'do'._

She laughed and gave a seemingly genuine smile at the singers who she assumed were gushing over her dress. She didn't have a damn clue about what they just said to her but with the way they smiled and occasionally pointed at the dress, she took an educated guess that that's what they were all excited over. She did a semi-twirl and curtsy and their smiles widened. She stopped laughing when she heard a throat clear behind her.

Vince nodded toward the singers, and they took that as their cue to exit.

Stephanie turned around slowly and said lowly, "hi, Dad."

"You look nice." He stated.

She nodded and smiled gratefully. "Thanks." She wasn't sure why he was here. He wasn't yelling at her, yet and she didn't care to make a fool of herself so she'd tread lightly.

Vince decided to cut to the chase. "I'm not going to forget the things you said about watching me die." He informed her. She nodded solemnly. "However, I will forgive you because you are a McMahon and Daddy's Little Girl." He told her, hugging her.

"Vince, Stephanie, you guys are up!" Howard Finkle yelled as he ran toward them, out of breath.

"Get out of here, damn it! Can't you see I'm reconciling with my daughter?" Vince scolded him.

Stephanie laughed mutedly. Whatever had come over her earlier had certainly passed. _Nothing bad has happened_. _If anything, things have gotten better. _

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"Hunter, I take you as my husband again, in front of the entire world because I want to tell you how I've felt since I first laid eyes on you. I thought you were the most amazing man I had ever seen. When I got to know you, it was proven. Everything about you is breathtaking. Your smile lights up my heart. Your touch is gentle yet it makes me feel safe. Your words give me encouragement. When you're upset with me, it feels like the whole world is. That's because you are my world; my everything. I know I may not be perfect but I do try my best and I truly hope that it's enough. I would do anything for you. Absolutely anything. We were destined to be together. We are one. We are eternally connected and I love you more than words can say."Stephanie stared at Hunter, smiling brightly as she finished her vows. The whole time he looked so taken aback by her feelings – but in a good way. She saw the sparkle in his eyes as she professed her undying love. _I know he feels the same as I do. That sounds lame, but whatever. _

Hunter took a deep breath. He never knew she felt so deeply. He considered her love to be more superficial and selfish above anything else before Thursday. _How ironic of me. She's been so in love this whole time and I've been subconsciously pushing her away. _"Wow. Steph, that was beautiful, I'm overwhelmed. I won't lie to you; the first time I saw you I thought you were a nerd - a strikingly gorgeous nerd who never had fun. I was so wrong. When we got married I saw a side to you that I hoped for, but never really imagined possible. To tell you the truth I fell in love with you the first time we locked eyes. I always knew – or at least hoped – that one day you'd be a very significant part of my life. We're two pieces of a puzzle that nobody ever really thought about placing together. Yet, we fit perfectly. You complete me and make my life have meaning. I love you more with each passing day. We've been together over two years and we've definitely had our ups and downs but we always manage to make it through. When you said I was going to be a father it was the greatest moment in my life. Well, other than marrying you, of course. Since then, I see you differently, Steph. Not just as my loving wife, but also as the mother of my child…" He stopped as the arena went pitch black. He felt Stephanie clutch his arm tightly. He had no clue what was going on and neither did Stephanie, obviously.

Stephanie gasped as she heard her voice filter out through the speakers. _What the fuck is this? _She felt Hunter walk away from her. He was probably getting closer to the speakers so he could hear more clearly.

"Remember what I told you. About 8 weeks doctor." Stephanie's voice stated.

Doctor Johnson's voice said, "I remember. Where's my money? I'm leaving right after this."

Faint rustling could be heard. "Here. Screw me over, and you'll live to regret it."

"I'm sure."

Suddenly the lights came back on. Stephanie glanced around the arena quickly looking for who could have done this, anger evident in her eyes. She would find out who did this to her and they would pay dearly.

The look of anger was quickly replaced by concern as her gaze turned to her husband, who was still staring in the same direction. She glanced to Vince for help but he seemed shell-shocked at what had just been heard.

Unsure of herself, she slowly walked to Hunter and gently touched his shoulder. "Hunter?" She asked in a breathless whisper. He felt rock solid and she could feel him shaking under her hand.

He grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her hand off his shoulder as he spun around. "Don't touch me, Stephanie." He said it lowly, but it was laced with venom. "How could you do this to me? You lied and used my emotions against me!" He accused her, his voice rising with each syllable. "I have done some pretty bad things in my life but I would not even go this low. You disgust me!" By this time he was yelling at her. "You don't care about anyone or anything but your damn self! It wasn't about "us", only you!" His grip on her arm had tightened but she didn't dare to try to wrench it from his grasp, she'd probably end up breaking it. "Well you don't have to worry about 'us' anymore..." He trailed off.

_Oh, no. Please, no. _Tears were trailing down her face from a mixture of pain from the hold he had on her wrist, and pain at his words to her.

"As of now, this marriage is over!" He was yelling again and she flinched. "We. Are. Through!" He released her arm violently and she grabbed it, rubbing some feeling back into it. Hunter then began tearing down the various decorations that were lavished around the ring.

Vince had just watched what transpired as if he was in a daze. Twenty minutes ago everything was so perfect for his daughter. She was so happy. _Now she's crying and holding her wrist because of what that brute said and did to her._ He had enough. He went straight over to Triple H who was glaring menacingly at Stephanie, daring her to say or do something. He got right in his face. "What the hell do you think you're doing? You can't do this to her, you bastard!" He yelled, shoving Hunter in his chest.

Hunter snapped. He grabbed Vince and gave him the pedigree. He got up quickly and towered over Stephanie, awaiting a tantrum of some kind. _Why isn't she screaming, throwing a fit, clawing or hitting me?_ He continued to wait but the sight in front of him nearly broke his already severely damaged heart. Stephanie was just standing there crying, rubbing her wrist, which had bruise marks now, and cringing in fear. _What is she afraid of? I've never hit her intentionally before. _He felt bad for her. Almost. He shook his head slowly and sneered at her as he maneuvered his wedding ring off of his finger.

Stephanie swallowed a rather large lump in her throat as her husband stood, staring at his wedding ring in his hand. She had a guess as to what he was about to do with it, but she prayed that he'd have a change of heart,

Hunter looked up into Stephanie's sad, defeated blue eyes as he threw the ring at her feet. Hunter just stared at her, his eyes vacant of any emotion other than anger and hurt as he watched her bottom lip quiver as she struggled to hold it together. _As much as she's done, I still can't stand to see her cry._ He then turned on his heel and made his way out of the ring and up the ramp.

Stephanie's whimpers turned into loud sobs. How had everything gone so terribly wrong in a matter of minutes? She stared at Hunter's form going up the ramp and when he was gone, she sniffled and bent down to pick up his ring. She clutched it tightly in her hand as she went over to Vince, shaking him slightly. He stirred, and she knew he would be fine, as EMT's came to the ring to help.

She stared at the curtains that her husband had disappeared through. She was still Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley, damn it. _No way is it going to end like this_. Her grip on Hunter's wedding ring tightened and the sullen look in her eyes was replaced with determination as she made her way up the ramp.


	7. Getting Things Done SMH Style

Love the replies - keep em coming! Hope you all enjoy this.

Monday, February 11, 2002 (continued)

Stephanie stormed backstage immediately looking for the source of what she just heard. She passed various wrestlers who gave her snooty glances along the way.

"I'm so sorry that happened to you." Came a voice from behind

She spun around, locking eyes with Chris Jericho. "Yeah. Right." She said disbelievingly and shifted on her heel preparing to turn the other way.

"You don't believe me?"

"Why should I? Better yet why would you care about me or how my life just fell apart?" She asked skeptically, staring daggers at him.

He sighed. _It's now or never. _"Because I do care about you, Stephanie." She eyed him strangely. "A lot, in fact. You don't know how much." _Ok! I think I've revealed enough for now._

She blinked, unsure of what to say. _Eh? _"That's nice…I guess, but in case you hadn't noticed I'm very much in love with my husband and I need to talk to him. Like. Now." She said slowly and then turned and walked briskly down the hall.

Chris stood there not knowing how to proceed next as he watched Stephanie's form advance further away from him and then out of sight in a matter of seconds. He'd tried talking to her for months, only to be blown off and yelled at. Finally, he got to say something meaningful to her and she acts like she doesn't give a shit. _Oh well. Won't deter me any. _

Stephanie had started full out running as soon as she hit a corner. She wouldn't take the chance Jericho was following her around still. _What was that all about? I guess he didn't hear what I said about the baby Thursday night, then. God that's a relief._

Tired and out of breath, five minutes later she finally stormed into the production area.

She inhaled deeply and placed her hands on a nearby counter to steady herself. "Where…"she closed her eyes and breathed deeply. "Where is the person who was responsible for the audio at the end of the show?" She asked the nearest person that had actually noticed her presence.

The young man gulped and raised his hand meekly. The woman in front of him didn't look all that happy right now. He didn't know who she was but if she was someone with power, he preferred not to piss her off.

"You?" She raised her brows as she pointed at him. He nodded slowly. "What's your name?" She demanded, authoritatively.

The guy stammered as he spoke, "uh um it's Riley. Riley Jacobs."

"You little shit!" She yelled at him, moving around the counter to grab the guy by his collar. "Where the fuck do you get off destroying my life? Do you have any idea what you have cost me?" She screamed in his face as she shook him slightly.

The young man looked horrified and asked, "huh?"

Stephanie's eyes narrowed and she released him, stepping away slightly, rearing her hand back as far as she could, to slap him across his left cheek. "Why did you ruin my life, _Riley_?" She asked angrily.

"Please. Please I have no idea what you're talking about, lady." He said, holding his burning cheek.

_Lady?_ She bent down to his level as she asked, "do you know who the hell I am?" Stephanie asked carefully.

Riley gulped and shook his head slowly. Stephanie glared at him with a mixture of hatred and disgust. "I'm sorry, I'm afraid I don't." He answered finally, deciding she may appreciate words more than a shake of his head.

_How the hell can anyone 'not' know who 'I' am?_ "Well let me clue you in on something. I'm Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley, alright?" She paused, and waited for his nod before continuing, "I am the daughter of Vincent Kennedy McMahon - who happens to sign your checks. I'm also the wife of Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Triple H." She got in his face some more. "You listen and you listen damn good. I am _the_ most dominant female in this company! Get with the fucking program or get another job, _Riley_. I assure you that if you piss me off…more than you have already that I will make your life a living hell." She searched his eyes and when she noticed the familiar glint of fear, she continued. "Do. Not. Fuck. With. Me." She said lowly, poking her well-manicured nail into his chest with each word.

Stephanie moved to stand up straight. "Any questions?" She asked, smiling brightly, as if she hadn't just belittled and humiliated Riley.

He nodded his head and Stephanie glared at him again so he put his hands up in defense.

"Speak." She said simply, crossing her arms over her chest.

Riley cleared his throat, making sure to have an indifferent tone, "what was the reason you came down here?

In spite of herself, Stephanie laughed slightly. _This kid pissed me off so much I totally neglected my initial reason for coming down here_. Once her face was back to being stern, she nodded. "15 minutes into the very last segment, an audio clip came on. Where did you get it?  
Riley blinked hard. "I-I…can't tell you." He stated and shifted his gaze downward.

Stephanie's eyes widened in shock. _The fuck? Did he forget who I am that quick?_ "What the hell do you mean by that?" She asked impolitely.

"I mean – I can't tell you."

Anger overcame her body. This was her marriage here and some kid was screwing around with it. "You better come up with something better than that! Give me answers or an explanation or get your ass kicked. Matter of fact - give me answers _and_ an explanation."

"He said he'd get me fired." Riley nearly whispered, as he glanced around the room, making sure nobody was listening.

Stephanie blinked and her mouth gaped open…was he – serious? "Get you fired?" She asked, making sure she heard him right. He nodded. "Screw that, I _will_ fire you! Do you want to tell me what the hell is going on and worry about some idle threat from some jerk or would you like to be fired on the spot?" She questioned.

Riley put his hands up in defense. "I got it. All I know is some guy came in here and handed me a cassette tape and told me to play it about 5 minutes before Raw was scheduled to be over."

"A-and y-you thought that was ok?" She stammered out incredulously, throwing her hand in the air. "To just to what some random asshole tells you to? Let me clue you in, only do things that someone you know is above you, tells you to do. Nothing more, nothing less, that's the key to a long career there, Riley. Now hand it over."

A long blink came from him. "Eh? Hand what over?"

Stephanie rolled her eyes and sighed exasperatedly "The tape!" She all but yelled. She smiled in satisfaction as he scurried and gave it to her. She flipped him a friendly wink before walking out.

Stephanie sighed. _I wasted 10-15 minutes talking to Riley. So since Hunter left the ring it may be anywhere from 20-30 minutes._ She prayed Hunter hadn't left yet as she picked up the pace.

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Chris rubbed his beard wearily. He had spent the last 10 minutes contemplating a way to get Stephanie to be with him. Hell, at least talk to him as a normal person. He slapped himself in the head as he realized that was the problem; Stephanie wasn't normal. She was the exception to most things he thought he knew about women. _I've been so stupid this whole time! Angle tried the "just friends" shit when it was obvious he was after more and she nearly fell for it. Her and Hunter's relationship was just too strong at that point to be brought down by it._ He chuckled, "that's not the case anymore, is it?"

The time was now. He needed to set something, anything in motion while their marriage was falling apart. Hell, it already had, really. Hunter said it was over and threw his ring at her. But knowing Stephanie, this definitely wasn't the last Hunter would see of her. She would devote all her time and energy into getting Hunter to take her back. Stephanie – when completely devoted could most likely get anything she wanted. He just needed to get her attention a little bit and it may just be enough to stick a nail in the coffin of their marriage. Chris grinned wickedly and braided his beard, since in his frustration, he made it unravel by pulling at it too much.

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As Stephanie raised her hand to knock on the door, she took a deep breath. After a minute or so she heard a low, "come in." She gripped the knob tightly and stood frozen to her spot, forgetting everything she had planned to say as her mind went completely blank. "Come in!" Hunter's voice repeated again, his tone agitated. Before she knew what she was doing she had turned the knob and stepped inside. Her legs felt like jelly as she stood by the door, breathing heavily. _How exactly do you begin a conversation with someone who just yelled at you in front of millions and had to refrain from assaulting you?_ She stood silently still, looking down at the floor, rubbing her still sore wrist. Clearly, slapping that kid didn't help her bruises.

"Get out." Hunter said simply, staring at her as he threw a shirt on. He had just gotten out of the shower.

Stephanie's head snapped up, her gaze locking with his as she said, "Hunter..."

"Get out!" He roared, moving to tower above her.

"Hunter, please..." She begged, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Please what, Stephanie? Talk to you? Hear your excuses? Sorry, not interested." He bit out and shrugged.

She sighed. "Talk to me, yes. We've been married over two years it's the least you can do."

"I shouldn't have to do anything. I wasn't the one who lied!" He yelled.

"Just like I wasn't the one who ignored, blew off, and screamed at you all the time!" She fired back. Hunter bowed his head slightly, unable to look her in the eyes. "That's right Hunter, that was _you_, not me. You never talked to me anymore. You put your career and that fucking title ahead of me. At least most wives get to be second best but I couldn't even be that. I was third or fourth." She said honestly, a few tears spilling down her cheeks as her voice broke.

"That isn't true. I loved you and you know it."

"You loved me, yes but you sure have funny ways of showing it."

"As do you. Last time I checked, lying wasn't a way of showing love, Stephanie."

"I never wanted to lie. I just wanted us to renew our vows as a way of like starting over." She explained. "You rejected my idea, Hunter. You yelled at me, berated me, and walked away." She reminded him. "I blurted out what was on my mind, it wasn't premeditated. I promise you."

"And being pregnant – that's what was on your mind?" He questioned.

"Yeah. I had taken a test that morning and it said positive. I thought I was pregnant with your baby when I said that to you." _I'm not lying. I did think it was his at the time._

Hunter sat down on the couch, going over everything Stephanie had just said in his mind. He couldn't justifiably stay mad at her since when she told him she was pregnant, she really thought she was. From what played in the ring, it was obvious she paid some doctor to tell him that she was. _Now that, I can be mad at her for_. "Stephanie I want to forgive you. Really, I do. But the fact still remains that you paid a doctor to lie to me."

"What was I supposed to do? Tell me, Hunter." She said throwing her arms in the air.

"Telling the fucking truth would have been a good start, Stephanie!" He exploded.

_Okay, I expected that_. "And how would that conversation have went? Huh? "Hey Hunter, I'm really sorry but I went to a doctor and I was wrong and I'm really not pregnant." Is that how you wanted it?" She asked, sitting on the couch beside him, staring into his hazel eyes.

Hunter blinked. He hadn't really contemplated all of that. "Well…it would have been awkward but it wouldn't have been as bad as this, Steph." He ran a hand through his hair, tensely.

_Steph? He's not using my full name so I must be getting through somewhat_. "I know that. And believe me, I never thought tonight would turn out so badly, so quickly." Stephanie said in nearly a whisper, placing her hand on his thigh softly.

He nodded at her and remained silent, not knowing what else to say. He glanced at Stephanie's hand as it made little circles on his thigh. He shifted uncomfortably as he noticed the huge bruise on her wrist. He picked it up, cursing himself as he saw her wince. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I'll live." She smiled slightly.

"It's not okay. I've never intentionally hurt you before and this never should have happened. I don't want you to have to be afraid of me, like you were earlier."

Stephanie almost couldn't believe her ears. She was the one who lied and he was sitting here apologizing to her. About timethe powers-that-bewere kind. "You were angry." She said simply. "You were really, really angry. I have no doubt that you weren't yourself at the time." She leaned over slightly and kissed him on the lips. She pulled back quickly, not wanting him to reject her. "Sorry." Came her mumbled apology as she fiddled with her wedding ring.

He shook his head as he leaned down and kissed her. To say she was surprised was an understatement. She quickly got over her shock to return the kiss, smiling when they broke apart.

"You don't hate me anymore?" She queried, shyly.

"I never did. Actually, I doubt I ever could, no matter what you did."

"So…" she dragged out the word. "Still love me?" A grin crossed her features.

"Yeah, unfortunately." She smacked his chest and he laughed, "I think we may be stuck with each other."

She readily nodded and he stood up, taking her hand in his and they left the arena together.

In the limo, Hunter had drifted to sleep on her lap. She thought about their conversation as she ran her hand along his abs. Hunter had forgiven her for lying about being pregnant and it seemed their relationship was back on track. The only problem was, he didn't know the only lie she had the doctor tell was about the weeks she was pregnant, and not the pregnancy itself. To keep things the way they were she was sure of one thing right now. _As much as I want my baby, it has to go._


	8. Happiness Short Lived

My flash drive has been missing for the last few weeks and all my revised chapters, along with it. After reading what I have posted I realized a few of the absent revisions. Most were in chapter 5 and they were like so very critical to the story. When I read it, even I got confused. So, to clarify what was implied there…Jericho knows damn well the baby isn't his, because he never actually slept with Stephanie. Hope you all enjoy this - let me know! 

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Monday, February 11, 2002 (continued)

_Definitely tomorrow._ She was exactly 12 weeks along, as of right now. It's most safe to have an abortion during the first trimester. She had to act quickly and hope there was an opening at some nearby clinic. Right now she didn't care. All she cared about was the desperation of the situation.

Her train of thought was broken as the limo came to a halt. "Hunter," she said softly. He didn't budge. "Hunter," she said louder, brushing a few stray hairs from his face. He still didn't budge. She smirked. _Damn, this man is hard to wake up._ She leaned down and kissed him hard on the lips and eventually felt him respond. She pulled away after a minute, laughing as Hunter's eyes opened as he pouted.  
"Why'd you stop?" He complained, sitting up.  
"We're at the hotel, I was just trying to wake you." She shrugged, moving to exit the limo.  
"Tease." Hunter quipped.  
"I'll be more than willing to continue this upstairs." Stephanie said, laughing as she sauntered off, through the hotel doors.

Hunter groaned loudly as the elevator shut just as he reached it. Damn woman could have held it for him. What the hell was she up to? He sighed and took the stairs. Their room was only on the fifth floor.

"Stephanie Marie, where the hell are you?" Hunter asked loudly, as he walked through the master bedroom.  
"You called?" She asked, poking her head out of the bathroom.  
He nodded.  
"What's up?" Stephanie asked nonchalantly.  
"Don't play dumb with me, woman. You could have held the elevator."  
"The button was far and there were people in the way." She said innocently, biting her lip to keep from laughing.  
Hunter wasn't buying it. "Sure, Steph. You just wanted something to laugh at. Admit it." He called her out.  
"You got me." She laughed. "It was only five floors, you can't be too mad, baby."  
"I'm really not. But, I need to talk to you about something." Hunter said, staring at his feet.  
Stephanie eyed him curiously. "Ok, talk." She said simply. They had already got everything out in the open. What he had to say couldn't be all that bad.  
"I need a ring."  
_Huh?_ She blinked. "What?"  
Hunter scratched his head, ashamed. "I threw my wedding ring onto the mat, remember? So, I need another one, I guess." Hunter said quietly, refusing to look at his wife. This conversation shouldn't have even been necessary. If he had just kept his temper in check he wouldn't need to say any of this.  
Stephanie closed the bathroom door without a word.  
Hunter frowned. He hadn't expected that. _I guess I deserve it, though._ He tried opening the door, only to find that it was locked. "Steph, are you okay?"  
"Yeah." She said calmly.  
He heard faint rustling and then the sound of water running. Then, he heard the door unlock. He opened the door, to see Stephanie standing next to the shower in a white terry cloth robe.  
"What are you doing?"   
"You're going to want to make love to me all night long. The shower is my favorite place so we're going to start there." She grinned cleverly.  
"Okay, not that I'm going to complain, but what made these thoughts come about?" He smirked, stepping closer to her, undressing as he did so. _Since when does telling your wife you don't have your wedding ring elicit a sexual response?_  
Stephanie walked past Hunter, closing the door, and then spun him around to face her again. She kissed him feverishly, wrapping one arm around his neck. She smiled against his lips, as his hands threaded through her hair. She used her free hand to reach into the robe's pocket. She broke the kiss, grinning as she grabbed one of Hunter's hands. "I thought you might be needing this, so I picked it up for you."  
His eyes widened as he saw her place his wedding ring in the palm of his hand. He smiled, and quickly put it on. "I love you," he said simply, picking her up and walking towards the shower.

Tuesday, February 12, 2002

Jericho's eyes widened as he saw the building Stephanie had just walked into. It was a clinic. Part of him wanted to jump for joy that she was about to kill Hunter's child. The smarter half, however, realized that this would screw up his plan. Stephanie being pregnant and thinking it was his, was the heart of the plan. Stephanie just thinking she slept with him, wasn't enough. She wouldn't feel guilty enough to care to tell her husband, and he had no proof. _Well that's because it didn't happen anyway._ He had to stop her. He walked briskly through the double doors, once she was far enough not to see him. He trailed her, cautiously, ducking behind doors and plants. He wasn't as inconspicuous as he would have liked but it was the best he could do for now.  
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As Stephanie slowly walked down the hallway, she felt tears well up in her eyes. She was about to kill her own baby in about an hour. She took a deep breath to calm down before she ended up crying uncontrollably in front of all the people she was passing. Finally, she made it to the waiting room, and after signing her name she slumped into the uncomfortable chair, picking up a random magazine. 

About ten minutes later, her head popped up suddenly, as she heard loud sobbing from the other side of the door. She stared at it, until a girl who looked to be in her early twenties, came moping out. The girl was crying hysterically, rubbing her stomach as she exited the waiting room. Stephanie didn't know why, but she felt it was crucial that she talk to this girl.

"Hey!" She said loudly, as she stepped out of the room. She frowned as the girl kept walking. She jogged to catch up to the girl. "Excuse me." Stephanie said softly.  
"Yeah?" The girl asked softly, her blue eyes red and puffy from crying.  
"I'm really not trying to me nosy, but what's the matter?"  
The girl eyed Stephanie curiously. "I don't know why I'm telling you this…but I just had an abortion." She said, lowering her head, her brown hair masking her face.  
Stephanie nodded. She figured that. "Isn't that what you wanted, though?" She asked tenderly.  
The girl lifted her head. "I thought I did." She whispered.  
"I don't understand..."  
"Don't do it if you're not positive. Once the drug is in, there's no turning back. For you, or your baby. I realized that a few seconds too late." She said, and turned to walk away.

Stephanie couldn't help but to let her own tears fall freely. She understood where the girl was coming from, completely. She began to wonder if this was a sign from God. The girl had some of the same features as her: height, hair color and eye color. She wasn't sure what she was going to do about her current situation but she'd figure it out. Right now, however, no way was she killing her own flesh and blood. "I can't do it." She whispered to no one in particular, and walked in the direction if the exit, quickly. On the way, she passed a couple of young, crying girls. This only motivated her more, to not be one of them.

Had she looked back just once, she would have noticed Chris Jericho a mere 15 feet behind her, grinning.

Thursday, February 14, 2002

_If someone is having a worse Valentine's Day than me, I pity him or her._ Stephanie sank further into the cushions of the leather couch. She told Hunter that she was sick, and didn't feel up to going down to the ring with him. It really wasn't much of a lie. Her father had called Hunter into his office, ranting and raving about what happened on Raw. Vince was so angry, that he failed to notice that she was standing directly behind Hunter. Hunter was trying to explain his actions and the fact that they talked afterward but Vince didn't seem to be listening, he just kept yelling about the same shit. Eventually Hunter's temper got the best of him and he started shouting obscenities right back at Vince. Finally, she just jumped out in front of her father, yelling for both of them to shut up and let her talk. When she had established some order, she explained to her father that she and Hunter were doing fine again. Vince grumbled and complained but seemed to be pleased that she was happy again.

Then, on their way back to the dressing room, her and Hunter bumped into Chris Jericho. The two, of course, sneered at each other, but once he was out of Hunter's line of vision, she turned her head slightly, to see him pointing to his watch and smiling. Stephanie wasn't sure what that gesture was supposed to mean, but too many things ran through her head at once and as soon as she reached their room, she ran to the bathroom and threw up. When Hunter asked her what the hell was wrong with her, she had said that room service that morning was awful and she had been nauseous all day. She quietly sighed at the fact that she was continuing to lie.

On top of all the problems that occurred in the 12 hours she had been awake, she still had Tuesday's problems to deal with. She was definitely stuck between a rock and a hard place. She couldn't kill her child, she had established that already. She didn't want to lose Hunter, so that meant he could never find out about anything that happened the night of, or as a result of Survivor Series. The task had seemed easy enough. She would just keep her damn mouth shut.

However, she remembered that there was a possibility that Jericho knew the truth. She needed to know exactly what he heard her say the night he almost attacked her. She had to find out. It had to be clever. She couldn't say anything that signaled that this was his baby, in case he hadn't heard anything of importance. She looked to the television, watching her husband make his way to the ring. It was only Maven so Hunter would be perfectly fine. She got off the couch and exited the room, deciding to find Jericho and talk to him while her husband was occupied.

Sometime later, Stephanie rolled her eyes as she ended up right back in front of her dressing room. She had searched just about everywhere for Jericho, and eventually got lost and made a complete circle, it seemed. She lay against the door, not quite prepared to go in yet. She was just a bit tired and needed to relax, and figure out what to do next. Her eyes snapped open as she felt a tap on the shoulder.  
"Need some help there, Princess?" Jericho chuckled at her.  
She pushed herself off of the door and got right in his face. "No."  
"Whatever. Don't get your thong in a bunch. You just looked really tired, that's all. Just seeing if I could help."  
"As a matter of fact, you can. Something has been on my mind and it's confusing me. The night that you and Angle had the handicap match against Hunter, you were about to attack me." She said, wanting to get this over with as soon as possible.  
"Like that's something new." Jericho shrugged.  
Stephanie scoffed. "It's not. But, you didn't go through with it. Why? You hate me." She pointed out. She chewed her lip nervously, awaiting his response.  
Jericho smiled as he saw the dressing room door open. However, he refused to make eye contact with the person in the doorway. "I don't hate you, all of that was to cover for the fact that I love you. That night you told me you're carrying my baby, I couldn't have laid a hand on you." He smiled and ran his thumb over her cheek.  
Stephanie ran a hand through her hair tensely and sighed. "Shit. So you did hear me, huh? We need to discuss some things, then. Not here, though…" She trailed off as she detected heavy breathing behind her. _Oh no. I could kick myself for being so stupid._ Stephanie turned around to be met by a pair of furious hazel eyes. Her mouth was agape as she tried to form words but none seemed to come at the moment. _How long was I wandering around anyway?_

Both Hunter and Stephanie failed to notice the wicked grin that came across Jericho's face. _I couldn't have planned it better._ He decided to just stand around and watch the fallout between the couple, and be right there to comfort Stephanie, after Hunter went off on her.


	9. Everything Feels So Wrong

Thursday, February 14, 2002 (Continued)

Stephanie felt her entire body go numb as she stared at Hunter. At this point, speaking was not her ally. It was always her mouth that managed to put her marriage on the rocks. Her marriage. After tonight she may not have one at all. It would be a lie to say she was prepared for it to end. _What's the smartest way to go about this?_ Should she start begging, crying and pleading? Or would it be best to remain calm and collected, like she didn't give a damn? She felt the burning in the back of her eyes as she wished that she were anywhere else in the world. _Anywhere but here._ Deciding to get herself in check, she forced her lips into a tight line, her sapphire eyes now vacant of emotion, as she looked up at her husband.

"Hunter…" she started, slowly.  
He put his hand up, indicating for her to be quiet. Once he saw that her mouth was closed yet again, he curled his hand into a fist as he brought it away from her face, to rest at his side.  
"You're a plague." His voice was low.  
Hunter had spoken so softly that she couldn't make out what he said. "Excuse me?" She asked and then bit her lip. Part of her didn't want to hear what the hell he said. Somehow she knew she needed to, though.  
"You are a plague!" Hunter bellowed.  
She blinked, unsure of how to respond. Just what exactly was he talking about? _A plague?_ "I'm sorry, I don't…" She started before being cut off.  
"Shut up, Stephanie! I wouldn't expect someone like you to know what I mean."  
Her mouth parted slightly and her eyes widened, as she felt a blow to her pride. Someone like her? "What the hell do you mean by that?"  
Hunter laughed. Not the hearty, sincere, beautiful laugh that she loved. No. This laugh was sinister, mocking, demeaning. "You are a selfish, arrogant brat. You care for nothing and no one but yourself. Everything you touch rots away to shit. You are a plague."  
Stephanie shut her eyes tightly for a moment. "How can you say that to me?" She queried, softly. She refused to cry. Not just yet. She silently promised herself that she'd hold on to her emotions of hysteria until he was gone, at least.  
He smirked slightly. "Easy. You're like a fucking slow acting poison. You creep your way in silently, then start clawing, biting, and draining the life out of everything until there's nothing left but crap. Everyone who has ever had some type of personal relationship with you has regretted it. I'm all you've got." He explained, and then corrected himself, "All you had."

_Past tense._ She swallowed thickly. Hunter was gone either way. As much as she didn't want to hurt him, she figured it no longer mattered. She had hurt him already. Beyond repair. Her self-preservation tactics were in full force all of a sudden, as she realized he was about to declare them permanently over with. Hunter could be rational and forgiving only after his temper had subsided. She knew that would never be the case. Not this time. She wasn't foolish enough to believe he could ever look at her the same way. They were done. The last spark of the fire that was Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley, multiplied. She felt the heat course through her veins, knowing what she had to do. "Had? We were fucking doomed from the start in this circus of a marriage. Hunter, you never had me and I never had you. It's time to stop this shit that we put each other through. There's no good fucking reason for it." She said unsympathetically, looking anywhere but at him.  
"I-you…what?" Hunter stammered dimwittedly. This was so not the way he pictured this conversation going. She was the one who fucked up and she was now sitting here talking shit to him? Something was seriously wrong with this damn picture. "Stephanie what are you ranting about?" He managed to ask, more intelligently.  
She looked up at him briefly, then away again. "Us, Hunter. We could never have worked. I'm just glad you know about me and Chris now." There it was. The final dagger in his heart. She had to be strong and end this herself. She refused to add Hunter abandoning her, to her long list of problems. It would have happened anyway, but "I, with you" made a difference when it comes to breaking up, in her mind. Her stubborn pride wouldn't let her be further humiliated by giving him the satisfaction of actually telling her it was over.  
Hunter glared at Stephanie as he saw the smirk appear on her face. _Damn this!_ "Fuck you, Stephanie! I hope you and that prick will be happy together because you're fucking dead to me!" He all but yelled and walked back into the dressing room, slamming the door. The walls shook slightly from the vibration.  
"Goodbye, Hunter…" Stephanie mouthed, before kissing her fingertips and placing them on the doorknob.

Jericho could not have suppressed his grin if he tried. This was amazing! Stephanie thought she cheated and was pregnant by him and 'she' broke up with Hunter. Not even gently. She let the man down brutally. If Chris didn't hate him so damn much, he would actually feel sorry for the guy. As he saw Stephanie's posture shift, he wiped the smile off of his face and replaced it with a look of concern. "Stephanie, are you okay?" He asked lowly, placing his hand on her shoulder.  
Stephanie turned around slowly, her hair masking her face. She sniffed loudly and wiped away her tears furiously. "I just want to get out of here." She whispered, falling directly into Chris' arms.  
"Where do you want to go?" He asked her, inhaling the faint scent of her perfume. She smelled damn good. He wanted to do nothing more but take her to his hotel room and show her what should have happened that night. However, patience was a virtue and so far it had been good to him. Hell, he hardly had to do anything - all he did was plot to do things. He rarely got the chance to make good on his plot and instead would end up just standing around, watching as things came together…or fell apart - on its own.  
"I don't care. Anywhere." Stephanie mumbled out through her whimpering as Chris walked her in the general direction of the exit.  
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The man grumbled as he watched Chris and Stephanie walk down the hallway all hugged up. What the hell did he have to do to get her unguarded? He tried to get rid of Hunter at the renewals by exposing Stephanie's lies and that didn't work. Matter of fact, that went in the opposite direction – they seemed to have gotten closer after talking things out. It made him fucking sick. He hated Triple H with a passion. He hated Stephanie just as much. He wanted to destroy both their worlds. The task hadn't seemed too difficult seeing as they were each other's world, mostly. However, the more he schemed, the more frustrated he grew, as it seemed that nothing could break up the couple.

Finally, he managed to get Triple H to hear the whole truth. Then what the hell happened? Stephanie runs off with Chris Jericho! Now he would need to devise a way to get him away from Stephanie, too. If anybody else popped up after he got rid of Jericho, he would probably take the easy route and just kill the guy. "Save me some trouble." He chuckled, coming out of his hiding spot and walking down the hallway casually.  
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Hunter growled lowly as he chucked another vase against the wall. "Fuck!" He yelled as he heard a phone ringing. He walked all around the room searching for the annoying source of noise. As he spotted Stephanie's bag he stopped dead in his tracks. _No fucking way. The bitch left her shit here._ Taking the phone from the bag, he chewed on his bottom lip as he contemplated what to do. Deciding that he wasn't completely juvenile, he flipped the phone open.

"What?" He answered rudely.  
"Is that you, Hunter?" Came a familiar voice.  
"Yeah, so?"  
"What – did you not check the caller ID or something?"  
"For your fucking information, Shane, no I did not."  
"What's up your ass? And why are you answering Stephanie's phone – in such a shitty mood, no less?" Shane queried.  
"The bitch left her purse here." Hunter said nonchalantly, sitting on the couch.  
"Hey, whoa! Wait just a damn minute. You better have a good reason for calling her that or you're going to have to deal with me." Shane threatened.  
Hunter laughed. "Oh, I'm so scared, Shane. But for your information, your bitch of a sister has been lying to me."  
Shane gulped, hoping that Hunter wasn't talking about the pregnancy issue. Was Hunter just assuming things or did he actually know for sure? "What makes you say that?"  
"She was standing right in front of the fucking dressing room! I guess she thought I was gone."  
Shane decided to play dumb, in case he was talking about something else. "Well what did she lie about that has you so upset?"  
"She's been screwing that fucking asshole, Chris Jericho, behind my back. He fucking loves her, and she's pregnant with his kid. I'm assuming that when she told me she was pregnant, she was trying to pass his kid off as mine. Fucking slut." He muttered.  
"Are you sure that's how it happened, Hunter?" Shane asked.  
Hunter couldn't believe what Shane was saying – he didn't know shit! _I heard them with my own ears!_ "I heard all of this myself! I'm done with your damn sister!"  
Shane nodded, though Hunter couldn't see it. "I understand, man. All I have to say is give her a chance to explain. I'll let you go now. Bye." With that, Shane hung up. He had no right to ask for forgiveness on Stephanie's behalf. Hunter didn't know the whole story. _He doesn't know that my sister was drunk off her ass, because of his mistreatment of her._ He guessed Stephanie wasn't given much of a chance to explain. That, or Hunter refused to listen. Most likely, it was the latter. If he knew his sister, he knew that she wouldn't let Hunter walk around thinking she was some kind of jezebel forever. Eventually the truth would come out. When it did, the ball would be in Hunter's court.

Hunter stared at the phone in his hands. Shane was lucky he hung up before he had a chance to respond. He would have given him an earful. "Give her a chance to explain." He muttered angrily. He gave her chances to speak, and she used them to make him feel even worse. Hunter didn't know if he could get any lower right now. His wife had cheated on him with his sworn enemy, was having a baby by him, and seemed to never have given two shits about their marriage.

Still, even with all Stephanie had said to him, something felt off. He couldn't come up with a good reason as to why Stephanie would have bothered even trying to resolve all problems their marriage had. Maybe this was all planned out. Maybe Stephanie had grown sick of him and decided to use one of the people he hated most, against him. She knew how badly it would get to him. _Standing in front of the dressing room – how convenient._ Hunter slapped himself in the head for his stupidity. He should have seen this coming. He was The Game, the Cerebral Assassin. The self-proclaimed king of fucking with people's minds. Moreover, he knew Stephanie and how she worked. But, even this was way too low for her to stoop. She was cold, but not that damn cold. It's impossible to be living with someone that long and not realize that they despise you. Hunter shook his head and got off the couch– this shit was all too confusing right now.

He slung his bag and Stephanie's over his shoulder as he walked out of the room. As he walked down the hallway, he noticed the familiar silhouette all the way at the end. His eyebrow arched as he stared from afar, wondering what the hell he was up to. He had come down to the ring and interfered with his match against Maven. Hunter thought for sure that he was there to attempt to kick his ass, and had been shocked when instead he performed his finisher on Maven. The poor kid was so knocked out by the move, that even though he had waited some seconds to go for the pin, Maven still wasn't able to kick out. To say Hunter was confused was an understatement. This man claimed to hate him; they had screwed each other over countless times. Why he would come to the ring and beat the hell out of Maven three minutes into their match was beyond his comprehension.

Hunter jumped in his limo, happy to get the hell out of the arena. Far too many frustrating things had happened for one night. He debated on whether to take a nice, hot, long shower and get some rest, or going to the bar to get wasted. Liquor wasn't really his thing; he only drank on special occasions, usually. Only Stephanie – that damn, exasperating woman – could push him this far.  
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Chris held Stephanie close to him as they rode to the hotel. She had cried herself to sleep on his shoulder. After he got over the initial bliss of her fallout with Hunter, it hit him. _I'm not the only one fucking with the Helmsley's_. The thought didn't sit well with him. He could kick himself for not realizing it sooner. He wasn't responsible for the audio that came on during Hunter and Stephanie's renewals but he was so overjoyed that somebody - anybody - had prevented it, that he never stopped to actually think about it rationally. He loved Stephanie and would protect her at all costs. He needed to figure out who was messing with her so he could find out their true intentions.

A loud sigh emanated from Chris as the limo came to a halt. He really didn't want to wake her but he had no choice. "Stephanie." He said softly, touching her cheek.  
She flinched immediately, removing her head from his shoulder. "What?"  
"We're at the hotel."  
She nodded and went to gather her things. Panic flashed across her features as she realized – she didn't have any things. "Damn it." She mumbled, realizing she never got to go back inside the dressing room, where all her stuff was.  
"What's wrong?" Chris asked, stepping out of the limo, helping her out, as well.  
"My stuff was in the dressing room."  
Chris nodded. He didn't know what to tell her. After what happened, it wasn't in either of their best interests to actually go ask Hunter for her things. "Well what do you want to do?" He asked, holding the door to the hotel open for her.  
"I can't do much of anything and neither can you. I just need you to get something for me to sleep in for tonight. I'll figure out the rest tomorrow." She reasoned.  
"That'll work." He gave her a small smile as they walked through the lobby and to the elevators.

Stephanie chewed her lip. She wasn't sure if she was entirely comfortable staying in Chris' room. Well at least she assumed that's where they were headed, since he hadn't asked her what room she was in. She decided to suck it up and deal with it. She no longer had a husband and Chris was in fact the father of her baby. At some point, she needed to learn to be comfortable with him. She gave the faintest of smiles as he glanced at her before pressing the button to his floor. Right now, she was in a daze. None of this seemed real. Her life had abruptly fallen apart and she wasn't sure what was right or wrong anymore. It didn't seem like it was ever going to get any clearer, either. She was dimly aware as the elevator stopped, and she followed Chris out of it. To her, it felt like she was taking some ceremonious walk out of one life and into another. A deep, agonized sigh escaped her as they stopped at his door. She released a tense breath that she wasn't aware she was holding, as he ushered her inside the room.

Chris smiled at her as he took his shirt off, leaving his chest bare. Stephanie turned her head, not wanting to stare. She swallowed thickly as she heard a zipper and then a tiny thump. She guessed his pants were now gone, too. After a minute or so she finally forced her head to turn in his direction. Irritation overcame her senses as she saw him just lying in bed, staring at her. "What are you doing?" She asked, as calmly as she could muster.  
"Going to bed. Aren't you going to join me?"  
"I'll take the couch."  
He rolled his eyes at her. "Suit yourself."  
Her mouth was agape. Was he giving her attitude because she didn't want to sleep in the same bed as him? It seemed like déjà vu. This is the same way her life began to slide downhill. How fitting it was that at the very end of the hill she found herself back here with him again. "I need something to sleep in. Remember?"  
"You can always sleep naked." He suggested, grinning.  
Stephanie blinked. _Huh?_ "I don't think so. I'll be cold."  
"Sleep with me then. I'll keep you warm."  
Any calmness she possessed went on the window. "I'm sleeping on the couch, damn you! Now give me something to wear!" She ordered, placing her hands on her hips.  
Chris sighed as he got out of the bed and walked over to her, ignoring the curious look she gave him. "Why are you afraid to sleep with me?" He asked her seriously, running his hand up and down her arm. "We've done that and more already." He pointed out, smiling. Stephanie's eyes widened at his bluntness and he took that opportunity to crash his mouth onto hers, roughly.  
Stephanie pushed against his chest until she was able to get him off of her. She wiped her mouth angrily, glaring at him. "I'm leaving." She stated simply, turning on her heel, ignoring him as he called after her.

Stephanie walked briskly to the lobby once she got off of the elevator. She sweetly asked the young man at the desk if she could have a room. Any room. Right now, quality and size didn't matter. She was desperate and had lost her purse, she begged him. The guy immediately recognized her as being Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley and eagerly gave her a key to one of their suites.

Once Stephanie reached her room and closed her door, she let out a strangled cry as she slumped down the wall. All the emotions that she had actually managed to hold in tonight came out as the tears poured down her face freely. Everything was so wrong. The way Hunter went off on her – he called her a plague and told her everything she touched turned to shit. The way she broke him down further, acting like he never meant anything to her and like she had actually meant to cheat on him. The way Chris had been so nice, and then turned into a hormone-driven jackass. The only people who wouldn't hurt her were herself and her baby; she realized and then rubbed her stomach lovingly as she continued to cry.


	10. Collisions of Every Kind

This is probably not one of my better chapters. I only needed 2 major things to happen but obviously the chapter would have been like a page or two long so I had to expand and throw in some other, not exactly vital things. Lol. Chapter 11 is already in the works, it should be out soon. Sorry for the delay but it was hard to expand and make it more than just a bunch of talking, not to mention I moved a little over 2 weeks ago...all on my own (except the friends I have here) and trying to find a job and such - it's been madness. Lol. Let me know what ya think of this one - as always. Onto chapter 10!

Friday, February 15, 2002

Stephanie jumped as she woke up. She frowned and muttered incoherently as she rubbed her stiff neck. A loud sigh escaped her as she realized she must have cried herself to sleep against the door. That knowledge did very little for her depression. Slowly, she pushed herself off of the floor and onto her feet, stretching her stiff muscles. "I need a nice, hot bath," she said to no one in particular. She chuckled as her stomach growled loudly "Fine, I'll eat first," she said, acknowledging the baby.

She picked up the phone and dialed room service. "Hi, I'd like waffles, turkey bacon, the fresh fruit…" she trailed off as her eyes continued to scan the menu "scrambled eggs and orange juice," she finished before hanging up.

_Damn eggs_, Stephanie thought as she narrowed her eyes. Every time she was even near an egg, her stomach decided to do flip-flops. She was determined to make it through at least one breakfast without running for the nearest place to throw up. This was personal, no matter ridiculous she knew she was being.

Her heels clicked against the bathroom floor as she entered. Looking at the mirror, she visibly grimaced. She looked terrible. There were tearstains down her cheeks. Her makeup was badly smudged. Her hair was an unruly mess. To top it off, she had dark circles under her eyes. She laughed dryly. The way she looked certainly mirrored the way she felt, and the way her life had fallen apart. With a disapproving shake of her head, she turned on the faucet, cupping the water in her hands before splashing it onto her face. A sigh escaped her as the cool liquid trailed down her skin. Turning the water off, she grabbed a washcloth and patted her face dry. Looking in the mirror again, she decided that would have to do until she was done eating and ready for her bath.

Twenty minutes later, she sat on her bed tearing through her breakfast. She glanced at her still untouched eggs. She forked a piece and brought it to her lips. As soon as the smell attacked her senses, she dropped her fork. Inwardly, she grimaced. It was definitely apparent that eggs didn't agree with her pregnancy. She'd just have to cut her losses and move on until after the baby was born.

After eating her last slice of fruit, she pushed her plate aside with a heavy sigh as she cracked her neck again. _Definitely time to take that hot bath._

She walked into the living room, fully expecting her suitcase to be sitting on the couch and – it wasn't! "Damn!" She yelled, realizing she had forgotten her things the previous night.

Stephanie glanced at the clock, which read 5 minutes past noon. What the hell was she going to do now? Her clothes, identification, prenatal vitamins – everything had been in that bag.

There was no other choice, it seemed. She would have to go to Hunter's room and ask him for her stuff. Hopefully he had actually been mature enough to even take her things from the arena. Right now, she couldn't be sure, seeing as he was livid with her last night. She passed a hand over her untamed brown locks as she thought of how to approach this situation – and Hunter. Suddenly she snapped her fingers as an idea hit her. Hunter would be working out at this time. He always did. There was only one possible solution to her problem.

She smoothed down her clothes and ran a hand through her disheveled hair to make herself more presentable

_What did I do to deserve this piece of shit that is my life? Am I really that bad of a person? Maybe this is my punishment for being spoiled as a kid_, Stephanie mused to herself in the empty elevator. All of her life, she never really did anything to anyone. Whatever negative things she actually did do – mostly to her family, she had been forgiven for anyway. So why was she suffering so much now? If she knew that an act of simply drinking at a bar could have possibly led to the domino effect that she was currently experiencing, she would have just stayed in her damn room after Survivor Series. Never in her wildest dreams did she picture herself in any of these situations. She cheated on her husband with Chris Jericho and now she's pregnant by him. Her husband found out and how he hates her. Jericho is an ass and she can't stand to be around him. So now she was just…alone. There was no one here to share her pain and try to reassure her that brighter days lay ahead. She only had herself, and her unborn child.

Stephanie smiled sweetly at the rather elderly lady at the front desk. "Hi, how are you doing?"

The elderly woman smiled gratefully. "I'm fine, honey, thank you for asking. What can I do for you?"

"I need the key to Hunter Helmsley's room," Stephanie responded politely.

The woman shook her head regretfully. "Sorry, dear. That's against hotel policy."

"But, he's my husband," Stephanie said.

The lady perked up immediately. "Oh! Why didn't you say so?" She exclaimed, tapping Stephanie's hand.

Stephanie smiled sheepishly, and watched on patiently as the lady typed various things in on her computer, occasionally muttering to herself.

"Here you go," the lady said with a smile as she handed Stephanie a key.

"Thank you! Have a great day." She grinned before walking off towards the elevators.

Stephanie tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for the elevator to stop. Finally, it did, and she released a breath she wasn't aware she was holding before walking out, in search of Hunter's hotel room.

Eventually she found it, and fingered the key nervously, debating on whether or not she really wanted to try this. It was definitely a risk. But, what the hell? She had nothing left to lose. She slid the key in and out, turning the handle as the light blinked green.

"Damn it!" Stephanie muttered loudly. She had searched all of the likely places for her things and had yet to see anything. Then again, Hunter was rather pissed at her, so maybe he left it at the arena, or tossed it out of a window or off the balcony. She shook her head. Hunter wouldn't do that. _Would he? _She walked over to the sliding glass door, opening it, walking to the edge of the balcony, to peer down. She breathed a sigh of relief that there was no sign of any of her stuff.

Suddenly a door slammed. "Who's here?" Hunter's voice bellowed.

Stephanie's eyes went wide and darted around, looking for any route of escape or at least concealment. She huffed, as she found none.

"Who's here?" Hunter's voice repeated even louder. Sounded like he was closer, too.

"It's me," she squeaked out pathetically.

Hunter appeared in the doorway, a scowl on his face. "What the hell were you doing in my room? And what are you doing out here? Are you enjoying the view?" He asked sarcastically.

Stephanie's only response was a blink.

"What – are you deaf now? Cat got your tongue or something?"

She took a breath to calm her frayed nerves. "No. I went to the front desk and asked for your key. I knew you'd be working out and I wanted to get my stuff that I left in the dressing room last night. I didn't want to bother you."

"Firstly, don't you think I'd be a little panicked that someone had somehow gotten into my room and was running around messing with stuff? Secondly, what the hell makes you think I brought your shit with me? You should have taken it before you left." Hunter smirked.

Her head shook in amusement. "You're not that immature, Hunter. I know you took it with you."

"Yeah you're right, I'm not that immature. But, what the hell are you doing on the balcony?"

Stephanie blushed. "I didn't find anything of mine so I thought it was possible that you tossed it over."

Hunter laughed loudly. "That was very stupid of you, wasn't it? If I wanted to dispose of your junk I would have just left it at the arena."

She rolled her eyes. "I didn't come here for an argument, or to hear you berate me. I only came for my stuff."

He nodded. "Follow me."

He led her through the master bedroom and to the closet. He opened it, to reveal her bag.

"Didn't check in here did you, Princess?" He asked with a sinister chuckle.

She chose to ignore his comment. "Thank you," she said before grabbing her bag.

"Yeah, whatever."

"Can't we at least be civil to one another?" She asked meekly.

"After everything you've done to me, that's asking for a lot."

She shifted her gaze to the floor. "I have a confession to make."

Hunter scoffed. "Oh, God." He groaned. "After all that's happened, there's still more? What – did you whore yourself to someone else, too?"

Stephanie's mouth dropped in shock. "How dare you!"

"Me? You were the one screwing other people!"

"Are you going to use that as your scapegoat for the rest of your life?"

"If I did, I'd have a damn good reason. You do all this shit to me, then you ask me to be nice to you…it's crazy, Stephanie! Then you come with your little--your little--admissions!" He finished, awkwardly.

"Maybe if you'd fucking listen to me and stop being such an asshole, you wouldn't be so angry with me!"

"Oh, you sleep around and I'm an asshole? That's interesting. What's that make you, then? A slut? A bitch? Tell, me Stephanie."

Her eyes filled with tears and she breathed deeply. "Just…listen…please." She said softly, putting her head down in an attempt to keep him from seeing her cry.

"I've heard more than enough from you, recently. I'm done listening to your nonsense. First I find out you've been having an affair and you're pregnant from it, then you all but say you never even cared about me. Now, you're in here asking for me to be civil to you? You don't even fucking know which way is up, Stephanie. Get out."

Stephanie looked up at him. "Hunter…"

He put up his hand to silence her. "Get out." He repeated.

"Not until you talk to me," she whispered firmly.

Hunter glared at her, realizing she was serious. He grabbed her wrist, forcing her to walk to the door. "Bye!" He yelled, slamming the door.

Stephanie stared at the door in shock before a fresh batch of tears cascaded down her face. She couldn't stay in the same hotel as him any longer. Moreover, she didn't really need to be around the wrestling business while she was pregnant. She stood at the elevator, deciding what to do. She hadn't had anything in her hotel room. As she stepped onto the elevator, she decided on going to the lobby. They were in Little Rock, Arkansas – not particularly close to any house she had access to. And, she needed a release. Driving always seemed to do the trick, so she arranged for a rental car.

She took a seat on one of the plush couches in the lobby, tossing her belongings next to her. Her life was getting to be pathetic. Her husband wanted nothing to do with her, her baby's father was a complete jackass, and now she was about to drive herself to the airport. This was supposed to be a relatively joyous time. During pregnancy, women weren't supposed to fret about losing the man the love, while trying to be civil to another out of necessity. She and Hunter should be celebrating the fact that she was pregnant. But they weren't. Somehow, things had managed to become so completely fucked up. The thought was rather unnerving. Even worse for her depression was the fact that she was the reason for her own unhappiness.

Though Hunter had been the one to alienate her for all of those months, she had been the one who was weak. She was the one who decided to numb her frustration, anger and sadness with liquor. Hunter wasn't responsible for that. Nor was he responsible for her unfaithfulness while she was intoxicated. He didn't put a gun to her head and tell her to do any of that. Nobody did. It was all on her. And the fact that when it came down to it, there was no one to share the blame with was what was driving her half insane.

A tap on the shoulder broke her train of thought and she glanced up to see the elderly lady from earlier peering down at her. The lady smiled softly and pointed toward a man outside of the hotel, waving. Stephanie got up, grabbed her things and smiled at the woman before exiting the hotel.

Stephanie greeted the man and then handed him a fifty. "Thanks," she said curtly as she jumped into her rental Lexus.

A few strands of hair whipped her in the face as she sped off in the direction of the airport. As she shook her head in an attempt to get them off, her gaze fell on her rearview mirror. A navy blue car was right behind her. If she wasn't mistaken, it had been since she left the hotel. She shrugged it off but sped up to 70 mph on the freeway right before she changed lanes. Suddenly her phone rang.

"Yeah?" She answered distractedly.

"Hey little sister, what's up?" Came Shane's voice.

A loud sigh emanated from her. "Hey. I'm driving to the airport – blowing off some steam because too much is going on for my liking."

"Let me guess. Something to do with Hunter?"

"Isn't it always?" She smiled bitterly.

"I take it he really let you have it when he found out?"

Her brow arched in intrigue. "How'd you know that he found out?"

"I called for you and he answered and he told me what he overheard."

"How great," she mumbled.

"Cheer up. He won't be as angry once you correct him and say it was a one-night stand."

Stephanie expelled a tense breath.

"Steph…what did you do this time?"

"I-uh kind of told him that I never loved him and uh that I was glad he found out about Chris and I," she said as she ran a hand through her hair.

Shane's eyes widened. "What? Stephanie why the hell did you say that?"

"I don't know!" She cried.

He laughed. "Oh man. You are the most complicated woman."

She shrugged, though her brother couldn't see it. "I'm a McMahon. What do you expect?" She questioned truthfully.

"True."

Stephanie fell silent as she checked her rearview mirror. The navy blue car was behind her again. She could see now that it was a Nissan. She sneered and changed lanes.

"Everything's so damn wrong right now, Shane. I wanted to try to at least get to the point where I'm comfortable with Chris but all he wanted to do was try to get me naked," Stephanie said with a scoff and a roll of her eyes.

Shane groaned. "Too much info. Bad visuals."

"Sorry," she apologized. "It's just – I lost the man I love, and I can hardly stand to be around the father of my baby. My baby needs a male influence."

"Well you know me and Dad will help out any way we can."

"I know but it's just not the same…" she trailed off as she shook her head.

"I know. But you still have a few months before the baby will even be here. You'll figure something out."

"I hope so."

"So come on what made you tell Hunter that load of crap?"

"Just my stubborn pride. I didn't want him to be the one telling me it was over, furthering my humiliation and shame."

"Did it really matter? You knew it was going to happen anyway…and now he's angrier than he would have been if you'd just told the truth."

"Yeah. God, Shane, you should have seen his face when he found me on his balcony."

Shane blinked. "What? You were in his room? Why?"

"I had left my stuff in the dressing room so I went there while he was working out, figuring he had taken it with him."

"Did he?"

"Yeah but I didn't find it in time. He definitely had words for me after I asked him if we could be civil to each other." She scoffed, wiping the tears from her face. "I was going to tell him the truth about the Jericho situation but he wouldn't even listen to me," she hissed, hitting her steering wheel in frustration.

"Steph, calm down, you're driving."

"I am calm! I'm as calm as I'm going to get at this point!" She bit out, in anger. She turned her head to the side as she saw that the Nissan was behind her again. "What the hell is this asshole doing?" She questioned incredulously.

"Steph, who?"

Stephanie looked out of her window quickly, glaring at the car. "I don't know - it's some damn navy blue Nissan! The person is right on my ass."

"Change lanes or something," Shane suggested.

"This person has been behind me pretty much the entire time. I've tried changing lines and all of that and they still follow me."

"Can you see the driver at all?"

She stared at her rearview mirror, trying to get a glimpse of the person in the car. "I can't see much. It's definitely a guy. He's bald. That's all I can see."

"Is he still tailing you?" Shane asked.

"Yeah. If he's not careful he's going to--" she stopped as the Nissan sped up. Suddenly, her car shook.

"What was that noise?" Shane asked in a panic.

"The car hit me!" Stephanie exclaimed in shock. "Shit!" She yelled as her car shook from another hit. "What is he doing? What do I do?" she asked as tears started to form in her eyes. She quickly glanced back. The car was further away from her. She breathed a sigh of relief, which soon turned into a gasp as the car sped up and rammed her yet again. The phone fell from her hands and she tried to regain control of her car, which was spinning in circles now.

"Stephanie!" Shane yelled after a minute, as he didn't hear his sister's voice, or any other noises.

After calling her name a few more times, Shane hung up and dialed 911.

"Yeah, you have to help my sister. She was on her way to the airport and some person started hitting her car. Then she wouldn't answer me. You have find her; she's pregnant!"

"Sir, please calm down," the operator said.

"I can't calm down. My only sister is pregnant and I don't know what's happened to her."  
"Okay what kind of car was she driving?"

"I don't know; it was a rental."

"Was she on the freeway or the streets?"

Shane smiled. His sister was so impatient. "Probably the freeway, she hates the streets most times."

"What's her name? I can call around rental agencies and find out the type of car and everything."

"Her name is Stephanie Marie McMahon-Helmsley."

Shane gave the operator his contact information and hung up. All he could do now was wait for news on Stephanie.

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Hunter's cell phone rang. He frowned at the number, as it wasn't one that he recognized. "Yeah?"

"Is this Hunter Helmsley?" An unfamiliar male voice asked.

"Yeah. Who is this?"

"We're going to need you to come here to Southwest Hospital," the voice told him authoritatively.

"Why?" Hunter questioned indifferently.  
"It's your wife - Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley."

Hunter's heart jumped into his throat. "What happened to her?"

"I can't give you the details over the phone, but she was in a car accident. Can you come down here?"

"Yeah uh, I'll be there as soon as I can," he said softly and hung up.

Hunter made a few calls and in half an hour or less, his limo was speeding off to the hospital. Stephanie had to be okay. She just had to. He doubted he could forgive himself if something really bad happened to her. Most likely the reason she was driving at all was because he had hurt her feelings with his words and actions. But, what else could she have expected? She had hurt him terribly and then had the nerve to ask if they could be friends. Even still, she was pregnant. She was bound to be crazier than usual. He could have spared her feelings a bit more and told her to go fuck herself more politely. But he hadn't. He had damaged her ego, pissed her off, and saddened her all in one conversation. She just – she had to be okay. Nothing else was acceptable.


	11. Hopeful

Whew, finally got this out!! Hope you all enjoy this one and as always: replies are greatly appreciated and motivate me to write quicker (as does bribery and stalking lol)

Friday, February 15, 2002 (continued)

Hunter sat in the back of the limo practically bouncing off of the seats. He was becoming more nervous by the minute as the desperation to see that Stephanie was okay began to overtake him.

His anxiety hit its peak as the limo screeched to a halt in front of the hospital entrance. A tense breath made its way past his lips as he stepped from the limo. The automatic double doors made a sliding sound as they opened while he nervously wrung his hands together. He was here, now what exactly would he say to her? Would she even want to see him?

Somehow, as he continued on in a daze, he managed to coherently ask the receptionist where Stephanie was located. He thanked her haphazardly before continuing down the long corridor, to the elevators, and onto the 7th floor.

After what seemed like forever and a day, he arrived at her hospital room.

A breath caught in his throat as he stared at her motionless body. She looked so small, pale and fragile as she lay there hooked up to the machines. Sure he had seen her physically weak or vulnerable before. They were in the WWE and consistently knocked around. But this was different. It was never like this. Right now he actually feared for her life. There were various cuts and bruises on her face.

Hunter sat down in the chair next to her bed, moving a few strands of hair behind her ear. "I should hate you," he whispered. "I shouldn't give a crap what you do or what happens to you…" he rubbed her hand affectionately. "But, I don't. I still love you," he admitted to her unconscious body and in some ways, to himself.

"Mr. Helmsley?" The doctor asked, poking his head in.

Hunter tore his gaze from Stephanie. "Yeah?"

The doctor motioned to the hallway. "May I speak with you for a minute?"

Hunter nodded, and reluctantly left Stephanie's side, making his way into the hall. He leaned against the wall opposite of the doctor. Hopefully he was dragged out here to hear something positive. For his and Stephanie's sakes.

"My name is Doctor Cameron Jameson, by the way."

Hunter nodded, shaking the doctor's hand. "Doctor Jameson."

"You can call me Cameron, really," he chuckled.

"Okay," Hunter said simply.

Cameron took note of Hunter's expression and posture. "I'll make it short, I know you want to get back to her. Basically, she's very lucky that she and the baby survived. The first trimester is the time to be most cautious. Most 8-week pregnancies wouldn't have made it."

Hunter just nodded. He hadn't paid much attention to what Cameron said, after he said she and the baby survived. "So when will she wake up?"

"I'd say it should be soon. If not today, then definitely tomorrow," Cameron said with a reassuring smile. "She was given mild sedatives when she was brought in. Those should be wearing off. She will need someone to monitor her over the next month."

Hunter's brow arched. "Me?"

Cameron chuckled. "I'd assume so, yeah. But since most miscarriages happen during the first 12 weeks under completely normal circumstances, Stephanie needs to take added precaution. She has additional, far from normal circumstances to factor in, as well. I recommend that she not do much for the next month.

"Okay, doc." He replied, before walking back inside Stephanie's room.

"Even when you're unconscious, you find ways to make us be together." He laughed and shook his head as he grabbed her hand again and laid his head next to hers.

Sometime later, Hunter's head snapped up from Stephanie's bedside as he heard shouting outside.

"I want to see her! She's my sister!"

Hunter laughed; he knew Shane's voice anywhere. From what he could tell, the hospital staff was giving him a hard time about seeing his baby sister.

"I don't care what your damn hospital policy is. She's my only sister and I need to see her!" Shane continued.

Hunter shook his head and rose from his seat, walking over to the door. He poked his head out, whistling to catch Shane's attention. "Having some issues out here, Shane?" He asked with an amused grin.

"A few, yes. What the hell are you doing here?"

He shrugged. "The police called me about Steph, so I came right over."

"I'm surprised."

"Why? She is my wife, you know."

"Well I was talking to her on the phone when she had her accident and she told me about the altercation the two of you had at your hotel room. She was pretty upset."

Hunter put his head down as a fresh wave of guilt set in over his conscience. _I did cause her accident,_ he thought wryly.

Shane noticed the sullen expression on Hunter's face and knew what he thought. "You didn't cause her accident, Hunter. Some psycho kept ramming her car."

His head shot up quickly. "What?" He asked, dumbfounded.

"Yeah she said this car had been tailing her since she left the hotel. I kept hearing crashes and Steph yelling and crying."

"Did she recognize the driver?"

Shane shook his head. "No. All she told me was that it was definitely a guy and he was driving a dark blue Nissan. She also said something else but I can't really remember. This whole situation just has me in ten different directions."

"I know what you mean. You go ahead and see her. I'm going to the police station to see what I can find out about the guy who ran her off the road."

"Okay. Good luck."

"If she wakes up, tell her I'll be back to get her in a couple of hours."

"Get her?" Shane questioned dumbly.

"Yeah, over the next month it looks like I'll be playing nurse."

Shane laughed loudly, as an image of Hunter in a nurse's uniform popped into his head.

"Shut up, Shane."

"Sorry. Anyway, see ya later."

Hunter waved his hand in parting before jogging off down the hallway.

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A low grumble emanated from Hunter as he left the police station. How fucking hard could it be to find a blue Nissan that would obviously have a few dents in the front? All the idiots needed to do was to put out an alert for the damn car. Instead, they gave him the runaround, saying that even if they found the vehicle, it wouldn't be enough to press charges. That was complete bullshit and Hunter told them so. If the marks in the Nissan matched the marks on Stephanie's car, then surely that would be enough to warrant pressing charges, or at least enough to rouse suspicion. "Fucking cops," he mumbled as his limo sped off for the hospital again.

"How'd it go?" Shane asked as he spotted Hunter down the hallway.

"Not so great. Basically they said there was nothing they could do, since Steph can't ID the guy or the vehicle, really."

"That sucks."

"Very much so. I think they're just being lazy. If they found a dark blue Nissan with damage to the front that specifically matched the dents on her car, they could do something. They just don't want to get off their fat asses and help."

"Don't even worry about it. I'll do some digging of my own and see what I can find out. Stephanie's awake now, by the way," Shane informed him before slapping him on the back and continuing towards the exit.

Hunter walked into the room unwilling to meet Stephanie's gaze, He still felt responsible for her accident, regardless of the other details.

"Hey," she greeted him cheerfully.

"Hey. How are you feeling?" He questioned before reclaiming his spot next to the bed.

She laughed quietly. "Like I've been in a car wreck."

"Understandable."

An uneasy silence fell over them as Hunter stared past her and at the wall. Stephanie eyed him curiously. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"I know you better than that, so come on."

He sighed. "Fine. I just wanted to apologize for earlier."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean the way I went off on you. It was kind of uncalled for."

Stephanie shook her head. "It wasn't. I don't know what kind of reaction I had hoped for but now that I think about it, the things you said do not surprise me. I'm not going to hold a grudge about it, though, I rather just forget it."

Hunter nodded, grateful that she understood. "So have you heard? We're housemates for the next month."

A smile touched her lips at Hunter's positive tone as he said that. "Yeah, Shane told me. Think you can handle it?"

"If I can be married to you and put up with you for two years, I think I can handle a month, Steph."

Stephanie bobbed her head from left to right as she said, "We'll see," in a singsong tone.

Sunday, February 17, 2002

"Hey," Hunter greeted as he saw a still half-asleep Stephanie pad into the kitchen barefoot.

"Morning," she mumbled as she scratched her head and yawned.

He laughed at her, "Are you sure you don't want to go back to sleep for awhile?"

She stifled her next yawn, "Nah, I'm good. You know I'm not a morning person."

"Do I ever," he chuckled. "So what are you doing up so early?"

"Morning sickness," she muttered with a shake of her head. "It doesn't care that I haven't had enough sleep."

Hunter's easygoing mood quickly turned tense, "That's right; you're pregnant. You're not showing yet, so it slipped my mind."

She didn't really know what to say to that, so she settled on simply nodding.

They both remained silent, looking anywhere but at each other, until finally Hunter asked, "Do you want some breakfast?"

She smiled, "I'd like that very much."

"What do you want?"

She shrugged, "I don't know; surprise me."

Hunter laughed, "Okay, if you say so."

"No eggs!" Stephanie blurted out.

"That's random. And you love eggs."

"I haven't been able to get near an egg without getting nauseous. Eggs and this pregnancy don't agree."

He held up his hands in his defense to silence her, "Okay fine, no eggs. Got it. I'll call you when it's ready."

Stephanie wondered why he was practically kicking her out of the kitchen. Instead of asking him, she just gave him a small smile before turning on her heel and walking up the stairs to the guest bedroom. When she entered the bathroom, she took a good look at herself in the mirror. _Okay, I look like a zombie, that's why he kicked me out. A shower will fix that._

Downstairs, Hunter drank a glass of water to soothe his dry throat. Just hearing Stephanie talk about her pregnancy so absentmindedly ripped through him. He knew she was pregnant, of course, but it was easy to pretend like he didn't know because she wasn't even showing yet. It was easy to be nice to her when she wasn't being combative or showing evidence of her betrayal. He wondered about that, too. The fury he had seen in her eyes as she told him how she really felt about their marriage. That was only 3 days ago. Where was all of that fury now? Why didn't she protest coming back to the house they had shared – and go with one of her family members?

A dull ache started to form in his temples, so he rubbed them, in an attempt to stop it from getting worse. Stephanie was so confusing. It was almost like she was bluffing on Thursday night. The only thing he could be sure of was that she had cheated on him with Chris Jericho and that she was having his baby.

He started on the food, finally deciding to push all thoughts of Stephanie and Jericho out of his mind for the time being. Thinking about it certainly wouldn't help him get through this month any quicker. Clearly, the easiest way to get along with her this month was to pretend there was no problem. Pretend that she wasn't confusing and crazy. If he didn't, he just might go crazy himself, as well as wind up in a number of arguments with her.

Stephanie smiled as she heard Hunter call her name, saying that breakfast was ready. She walked downstairs in beige drawstring sweatpants and a white tank top. She had decided that if she left the house today she was going to throw on white shoes of some kind.

"That's better," he told her.

"What?"

"You looked like death when you first came down here," he smiled.

"I'd have to agree with you on that. But still, shut up," she told him with a smirk.

"I make you food and you tell me to shut up? How ungrateful," he stated jokingly, gesturing to the plate he'd made her. "I like eggs and I didn't even make myself any because it would make you sick."

Stephanie gushed, leaning up to press a quick kiss to his cheek, "Aw. Thank you so much, Hunter. Really."

Hunter ignored how good her lips felt against his cheek. He also ignored the urge to remind himself of how good her lips would feel on his. He cleared his throat and said, "You're welcome. I'm supposed to be taking care of you, here. I don't think that cooking something that I know will make you sick falls into that category," he smirked, before taking a seat at the table.

Stephanie took a seat at the table, as well. She had managed to keep the toothy grin off of her face, but she was pretty sure she had the dreamiest look in her eyes right now. It seemed like her and Hunter could possibly get back on track. The fact that he could let her live with him for a month, as well as actually care about her well-being was more than enough to send her over the moon. She was going to tell him the truth about what happened with Jericho. She just needed to have the right timing. She also wanted to see how long it would take him to admit to her – while he knew she was conscious – that he still loved her. Maybe it was his massive ego that allowed him to say it only while he thought she was unconscious. That didn't matter to her, though. Hunter still loved her and as long as she knew that, she was confident that she would be able to work things out with him, regardless of how long that would take.

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Jericho sat in his hotel room trying to figure out who else could be after Hunter and/or Stephanie. He didn't know anything about the person who was messing with them, let alone which one of them – if not both – this person was out to get. His only concern was protecting Stephanie. He couldn't care less what happened to Hunter.

Chris realized that the way he'd been to Stephanie on Thursday night was only going to push her away from him. She had just broken up with Hunter. _She doesn't realize I'm the man for her, yet. Oh, but she will._ He just knew it. In the future he would play it cool; not go after her so much. He needed to establish a friendship with her first. Get her to drop her guard with him. When that happened, he would try again, more tactfully. After all, she thought that he was the father of her baby. And, if her and Hunter really were finished, then she would look to the next best, available thing. _Me,_ he thought with a smile. Stephanie would be his. Once she fell out of the fallacious love she had for Hunter, she would realize whom she should really be with. Chris was sure of it. He would give her a couple of weeks to forget about how things had gone so sourly in his hotel room a few nights ago. She couldn't stay mad at him forever.

But, for now, he had more pressing matters. He couldn't do any of that until he first made sure that she was going to be safe. So, he had started a chart of all the people who disliked Hunter and Stephanie separately and jointly. After a few minutes, and no end in sight, he decided it was best to make a chart of who _didn't _dislike them. It would take far less time. He knew that much. This would be the list of people that he wouldn't have to keep such a close eye on. Just because these people hadn't made their dislike of the duo public, didn't mean that the feelings weren't present. These were just the people on the bottom of his list of people to keep a close watch on.


	12. Desire

Hey all! Thanks for being super duper patient with me on this one. I vaguely remember what's supposed to happen in upcoming chapters, but it's going to be rough since my flash drive ran away. Lol. Also, I've made some small edits in the first 3 chapters so that there's no confusion as to what happened between Steph/Y2J. Special thanks to my awesome regular reviewers: paulluvssteph, dldb, superdoopermario and sara1406. Also, I started a new story called "Rescue Me" but the site won't let me choose the character pairing or edit the description so it's like sort of partially invisible to an hhh/steph search. Hee! Hope you all enjoy this one!

Sunday, February 24, 2002

Stephanie crept up the stairs toward Hunter's room. Technically speaking, it used to be their master bedroom, but she was trying hard not to think about that fact. The door wasn't completely closed, so she poked her head in and smiled. Hunter was sound asleep, with his body lying diagonally across the bed and a foot dangling off the side. He had always told her he was a restless sleeper and that it had ended as soon as she occupied the bed with him. His theory was that his subconscious was aware she was there and didn't want her to get hurt by his wayward limbs.

She inched closer, letting her eyes shamelessly roam across his exposed leg and bare back. Lightly, she trailed her fingers up his spine and rested them on his left shoulder. "Hunter," she called, unsurprised when he didn't budge. "Hunter," she said louder, giving him a little shake. Still no movement from him. "Hunter!" This time she shook him violently and laughed when he groaned and rolled over.

"Yes?" He asked, with a hint of amusement while rubbing his eyes.

"We're hungry" she said pointing at herself, then at her stomach.

Hunter adjusted himself so that he was leaning on one elbow. "And what are the two of you in the mood for?"

"Mexican food!" She smiled brightly.

Hunter sat up fully and glanced at the digital clock on the nightstand. "It's 1 in the morning. Where are we going to find Mexican food this late?"

She shrugged. "We can get online and figure it out. It'll be like two stoners who get the munchies in the middle of the night and wander aimlessly. You know? Except it'll really be a late-night pregnancy adventure and we'll know where we're going" she grinned.

Despite the fact that Hunter felt like he shouldn't be taking care of a woman who had betrayed him and a baby that wasn't his, he laughed anyway. Pregnant women...or maybe it was just pregnant Stephanie, was sort of hilarious. "All right, I suppose I shouldn't starve either of you" he said, while getting out of the bed. "Let's get to researching!" He smiled.

Forty minutes, thirteen miles and approximately thirty-five dollars later, Hunter sat, staring wide-eyed at Stephanie. As soon as the plate of chicken tacos hit the table, she had started in on them. As she got close to finishing the first taco, she used her free hand to grab her fork to scoop up some of the cheese enchiladas. When the taco was gone, she wasted no time shoving a forkful of enchilada into her mouth. He had never seen her eat so much, so fast. Wasn't sure if he'd ever seen _anyone_ eat so ravenously. Apparently parched from eating at a lightning-fast speed, he watched her drain her glass of water in one, long swallow through her straw.

If it wasn't for the fact that she was somehow still reasonably well-put together, she could have easily been mistaken for a starving homeless person. She had been too comfortable to put on an actual outfit and had chosen to wear a pair of old, faded gray sweatpants, her white "SMH" baby tee and a pair of flip flops. Her long brown hair was thrown up in a messy ponytail with random strands sneaking out to cover her face and back of her neck. In Hunter's opinion, she was never more beautiful than when she was this relaxed – guard down, no makeup, no fuss.

With a shake of his head and a low chuckle, Hunter turned his attention to his beef, bean and cheese burrito, taking a generous bite.

"What are you laughing at?" Stephanie asked, between bites of her food.

"Nothing," he fibbed as he chewed. He didn't want to make her self-conscious. It was good that she gave into the cravings...good for her baby.

Too hungry to care to drag it out of him, she instead started eyeballing his burrito. "Is that good?" She asked, leaning forward to sniff in the direction of his food.

Hunter narrowed his eyes at her over the burrito. "Yes," he said cautiously.

Stephanie licked her lips and nodded her head towards the burrito. "Can I...you know?"

"No, I don't know."

With a sweet, shy smile she asked, "Can I take a bite?"

_If I hand it over, I'm not going to get it back. _He thought. _Jeez, she's practically drooling._ Hunter sighed and handed her the burrito, watching with a hopeful-that-she-wouldn't-eat-the-whole-thing expression. When she finished it, she licked her fingers with a content exhale of breath. He surveyed the war zone that was their table, noting that the only thing that survived her rampage was a lone chicken taco. He pointed at it and asked, "you gonna eat that?"

"Oh, I forgot all about the taco!" She exclaimed brightly, reaching over to grab it. "Thanks!" She told him sincerely, before shoving it into her mouth.

Defeated, Hunter just scowled into his glass of water as he took a few sips. His response to Stephanie's "Hey save me some of that, I drank all mine" was a simple grunt.

Monday, March 4, 2002

Stephanie sat perched on the chaise lounge in the living room, while Hunter was upstairs in the shower. Casually, she browsed the internet on her laptop for baby name ideas. Since she didn't know the sex yet, she was looking at boy, girl and unisex names.

"London" she murmured, "That's a cute one for either a boy or a girl." She stopped and thought about it some more. _London McMahon? London Jericho? Oh God, that sounds awful. London Helmsley? London McMahon-Helmsley? Shit, who am I kidding, that'll never happen, _she thought sadly.

She blinked, in shock when beads of water started falling on her face. "What the-" she wiped them off and looked up, surprised to see Hunter leaning over the back of the chair, allowing his wet hair to drip on her. "Hey!" She chided.

Hunter laughed and shook his head wildly, causing even more water to fall on Stephanie. She shrieked and jumped off the couch, giving him a death glare. Innocently, he smiled at her and asked, "So, what ya doing?"

Laughing, despite herself, she replied, "Eh. Giving some baby names sites a look."

"That's...cool." Really, he didn't know what else to say. Couldn't exactly bring himself to congratulate her on her pregnancy.

The phone rang and they both felt relieved to not have to talk about the baby any further. Hunter answered with a gruff, "Hello."

On the other line, Chris tried to keep his chuckle inaudible. This was too good. At best, he thought that Stephanie would answer the phone and Hunter would get irritated at the topic of conversation. But this, was ten times as good as the man himself had answered. "Hi, jerky," he greeted, so that Hunter would know exactly who he was talking to. "I'm trying to reach the beautiful mother of my child."

Hunter's blood ran cold. He glared at Stephanie, his nostrils flaring. Under his gaze, she cowered a little, but shot him a questioning look. She winced when Hunter told the caller, "She's not here," and slammed the phone down onto the receiver.

Despite her absolute terror at the look on Hunter's face, she cleared her throat and squeaked out, "Who was that?"

"Your not-so-secret lover," he said bitterly. "I can't believe you would have him call here. Call _my _fucking phone and throw it in my face, what you two have done."

Stephanie's eyes widened and she asked, "Jericho?"

Sarcasm dripped from his voice. "Don't call him by his last name on my account. Obviously you two are close enough to be on a first name basis."

"I don't know how he – I didn't give him our" she began, only to be cut off.

"I don't even understand why you're here," he told her coldly. "I don't understand why I'm the one taking care of you and that bastard's baby."

Her gaze lowered to the floor, "Do you...do you want me to go?" she whispered.

_Hell! Just, hell! _Hunter yelled inside his head. Why did she have to look and sound so goddamn sad? Didn't she _want_ to go? She should want to be with her lover and baby's father. Should have fought tooth and nail to stay with that ass instead of him. But she hadn't. In fact, she seemed happy that the burden of caring for her had fallen on him. She was even fun to be around again and didn't talk about her pregnancy more than was necessary. It was for his benefit, he knew. But it made no damn sense. Just 2 weeks ago she'd told him that she didn't give a shit about him and had been having an affair with Chris Jericho. Why wasn't he the one taking care of her? There was more to this story. There had to be. But he wasn't sure he wanted to find out...felt too emotionally drained to try. So, he simply asked, "Do you want to go?"

Without hesitation, she lifted her head, looked at him seriously and said, "No."

He shrugged at her and muttered "Suit yourself" before turning his back and heading upstairs.

She watched him, saw him abruptly stop. He didn't turn around but she could imagine the look on his face when he said sternly, "He is never to call here."

"Okay," she replied.

Upon hearing Hunter's bedroom door slam, she flung herself onto the couch. She wasn't going to bother trying to keep the tears in. "What a mess," she mumbled, through her sobs.

A vibration against her thigh, snapped her out of her misery. She took her cell phone out of her jeans pocket, frowning at the number she didn't recognize.

"This is Stephanie," she answered.

"Hey doll," the male caller greeted her.

Confusion marked her features as she racked her brain, trying to place the caller's voice with the number. She came up empty, so she asked, "Who is this?"

"You don't even know the voice of your own child's father. That hurts," Chris Jericho told her.

"If I'd have given you my number, I'd have been more prepared to hear your voice," she told him sarcastically. "What the hell were you thinking calling the house? As a matter of fact, how did you even get that number and my cell number?"

"Oh Steph, grease the palms of the right person and you can get just about anything," he told her shamelessly. "As for calling the house...well I heard that you were staying with Triple H and I hadn't heard from you in a couple of weeks. I wanted to check on you and the baby. He knows about us, so I didn't think it would be a problem."

Though he said it easily, Stephanie could tell he was lying. Lying right through his damn teeth. As much of a pain in her ass as he'd always been, she had to give him his just due - he was smart. Crafty. Not on the level as her husband, but this man was certainly no fool. He knew what the hell he was doing. Furthermore, he'd made it perfectly clear that he wanted her for himself. He'd said that he loved her at the arena, but had acted like some horny teenager when they reached the hotel. He hadn't even apologized for his behavior. How the hell was she supposed to deal with him well enough to raise a child with him?

"Listen..." she hesitated with the name and finally continued, "Chris. Hunter has been taking very good care of me and the baby. Ok? So, really, I would appreciate it if you wouldn't goad him that way. I've put him through enough," she admitted.

Suddenly her phone's speaker was filled with the sound of his laughter. Once he composed himself he said, "I hate Triple H. Always have, always will. Our situation doesn't change that. In fact, I'm tempted to throw it in his face just so he knows he can't have you."

"Listen to me you-"

He shushed her. "I wasn't finished. Like I was saying...I will make an effort not to do that, simply because it would upset you. And that's not what I want to do."

Silence was probably not the appropriate response to what Chris had just said. But, she was unsure of how to reply. Already he'd been too sneaky, too much of a jerk for her liking. Then again, they were going to have a child together. That changed things. Surely, she could be civil for the sake of the baby. Now, seemed as good a time as any to start practicing. "Thank you, Chris," she said. "I'll be in touch...and try to keep you in the loop with the happenings."

"I appreciate that. Let me know if you need anything," he told her.

_Hopefully that won't happen. I much prefer for Hunter to help. _"Will do," she replied, clicking off. She couldn't burn that bridge, just in case Hunter didn't particularly feel like giving a shit about her or her lovechild's well-being.

As she continued to sit in the living room, she was filled with determination. She had to find a way to make this better. Fixing it seemed nearly impossible, but at the very least she could try to make it suck a little less. She would start by telling Hunter the whole truth and nothing but the truth. At this point she just hoped he would both hear her out and believe her. If he did those two things, his anger just had to drop by a notch or two. _A girl can hope, right? _


	13. Oblivious

Yeah so, initially a certain "Mature-rated" scene wasn't going to happen...it was going to be interrupted and not resumed. Maybe I've been reading too much smut-fic lately, because it so totally won out and dominated this chapter. I figure it's a nice little gift, since I've tortured the characters throughout the other chapters. LOL. Love the reviews, keep em coming! I'm revising the next chapter of "Rescue Me" and I should have it up by tomorrow.

Monday, March 3, 2002, continued

Stephanie tried her best to focus on her laptop screen. She could hear Hunter coming down the stairs. Unsure of his mood, she decided it was better to pretend like she was unaware of his approaching presence. Let him make the first move, if any.

Stiffness crept up into her neck and shoulders as she heard, felt and sensed him making his way over to her. Desperate to block him from entering her peripheral vision, she leaned closer to the screen, poking her tongue out of the side of her mouth in mock concentration. In reality, what the computer was displaying was the last thing on her mind. How could she care about the news article when Hunter was less than 5 feet from her and she could smell his wonderful scent, mingled in with his cologne. A familiar feeling began in her stomach and spread all the way down to her feet.

Thickly, she swallowed. _Cool your hormones! The last thing he's going to want to do is make love to you._

"Hey," he greeted her softly.

She looked up at him. He smelled so good and looked even better. His blonde hair was down and cascading around his shoulders. The muscles of his upper body seemed to want to protest at being covered up. He looked like some damn bronzed Adonis. God help her, she wanted him. "Hey," she managed, clearing her throat and directing her attention back to the screen.

"I wanted to talk to you..." he trailed off.

At this, he had her undivided attention. She nodded and watched him shift the strap of his duffel bag, look down at the floor. Unable to help herself, a pleased smile crossed her face. He was nervous. She could work with this. Suddenly feeling more confident, she stood up to face him. "About?"

"Earlier. I shouldn't have exploded that way...you're pregnant...I'm supposed to be taking care of you, not yelling at you...stressing you out," he shuffled his feet. _Still nervous, _she thought. "Doctor's orders, you know" he added with an unsure chuckle.

"It's okay, Hunter." At his doubtful shake of the head she continued. "I know our situation is...tough."

He snorted, "That ain't the half of it!"

"Yeah. But, I understand your anger from earlier. I don't know how he got the house number, or my cell number for that matter, but I let him know that what he did wasn't okay."

Hunter nodded. "Thanks," he said, sincerely.

Deciding to take a risk, she walked over to him, ignoring his what-the-hell-are-you-doing stare. The worst he could do was reject her. But, she needed this. Had to try. When she reached him, she placed a hand on his chest, leaned up and pressed her lips to his. She didn't make any move to deepen the kiss, just held herself against him for a few seconds.

Pleased at the fact he didn't back away and curse her out, she tore her lips from his and rested on her heels again. "You're welcome," she told him.

He looked like he was going to say something. From his expression she couldn't tell whether he was going to protest, question or praise what she'd just done. Desperate to not let him potentially ruin her moment, she spoke first. "Heading to Raw?" She asked brightly.

"I-uh..." _Damn. "_Well." _It's been so long since I had her that close to me. _"Just uh." _It's ridiculous what a simple touch from her can do to me. _"A while."

Stephanie couldn't help herself, she laughed at her husband's flustering, stammering and inability to form a coherent sentence. "What's that, now?"

Hunter narrowed his eyes at her. _She's enjoying this. Well, I'll show her, _he thought wickedly. A one-sided smirk made its way to his face. He wasn't about to let her win this one. "Yes. I'm going to Raw. I have to, for a little while."

She nodded, biting her lip and shifting her gaze to the wall behind Hunter to keep from laughing. So, she was completely unprepared when he invaded her personal space by grabbing her arm and dragging her over, to press directly up against his chest.

"But, don't worry," he continued against her ear, making her legs feel like jelly. "I'll be back soon enough." With that, he dropped his duffel bag to the floor, wrapped one steely arm around her waist and brought his head around to capture her lips in a torrid kiss. Against his own will, his mouth moved against hers firmly, but at a moderate pace. She parted her lips slightly, wrapping her arms around his neck to bring him closer. She was silently begging him to taste her. Obliging, his tongue made its way into her mouth, to tangle with hers. His free hand was lost in her long tresses, raking itself through them slowly.

They thought of nothing but each other and what they were currently doing. Magically, the complications of their marriage were forgotten with this one embrace.

Unashamed, she moaned into his mouth. He couldn't help himself. He needed this. He hadn't been this way with her in what seemed like forever. He wanted to touch her. Everywhere. Wanted to leave, with the memories of her body, her mouth ingrained into his mind. He moved his hand from her hair, instead letting it rest against her cheek, lightly trailing along her jawline. She kept one arm around his neck and used her other hand to yank his shirt out of his jeans. Unhurriedly, she left a blazing trail from the waistband of his jeans to the top of his chest. When she raked her nails back down, he couldn't help but groan, tighten his arm around her waist and allow his hand to snake under her shirt and trace circles into her lower back.

Out of air, they broke apart. He leaned his forehead against hers. With his eyes still closed and his breathing heavy, he whispered "I want you."

Stephanie shivered at the intensity of his voice. It had been too long since he touched her, wanted her, this way. She pulled away and opened her eyes. God, he was taking her breath away and she felt her desire for him continue to increase. She grabbed his chin in her hand, forcing him to open his eyes and look at her. They stared at each other, unable to mistake the absolute lust in each other's eyes. She licked her bottom lip and said, "So, take me" before pulling him into another kiss.

Hunter cupped his hands under her butt and lifted her. Instinctively, she wrapped her legs around his waist. Neither of them wavered in their kiss as he carried her over to the couch. He sat down, leaving her straddling him. He broke their kiss and ignoring her pout, began to focus his lips and tongue on her neck.

"Oh! Oh, God," she sighed when he found the weak spot on the bottom, left side of her neck. Feeling his arousal, through his jeans, she purposely started to grind against him, smiling when he stopped attacking her neck and instead just nuzzled it with his beard as he allowed himself to simply enjoy what she was doing.

She lowered her head and nipped at his earlobe. "We're wearing way too many clothes."

"Uh huh," he mumbled, still enjoying her slow torture of him.

She chuckled and stopped her movements, giving him a reprieve. As she stood up, she whipped her top off of her head and tossed it over her shoulder. Hunter did the same. No attention was paid to where the shirts landed, her eyes were glued to Hunter's and his were glued to her hands, intent on seeing what article of clothing she removed next.

As soon as she moved her hands down, to unfasten her jeans, Hunter snapped out of his trance and did the same. He lifted himself from the couch, just enough to effectively rid himself of his denim prison. Stephanie kicked her jeans off and immediately reclaimed her position on top of him and they began kissing again.

Hunter's cell phone rang and she felt his concentration break ever so slightly. "Ignore it," she said against his lips. The phone continued to ring and neither of them made a move to retrieve it from his jeans pocket. His hand reached between them to gently squeeze her breasts and he grinned wickedly, enjoying her moans.

All of a sudden, the house phone rang right beside them. They ignored it for three rings. "Goddamn it!" Stephanie exclaimed, when Hunter broke their kiss after the fourth ring. She leaned back a little as she saw Hunter's brow furrow in confusion before his head turn to stare at the phone.

An ironic chuckle escaped her as she heard her own father's booming voice on the answering machine. "Hunter, why aren't you picking up?" she heard him start.

At this, Stephanie reached over and hit the button that would stop them from hearing the message being left on the machine. "Because he's too busy fucking your daughter," she answered, with irritation, though Vince couldn't actually hear her.

"That sounded important," Hunter said, with a worried frown.

Stephanie shrugged. "Answer it, if you like..." she trailed off, reaching into his boxers to grip his fully erect manhood. Hunter groaned loudly. "I mean, if you can," she added huskily as she started to stroke the head of his penis.

He could practically hear his resolve crumble away. "Oh, fuck it," he decided, moving her just enough so that he could free himself from his boxers.

"No, just fuck me," she returned. She called his name loudly when he suddenly moved her thong to the side and entered her, within the same second. She thought she might die right here and now, from the sheer pleasure she felt. She felt her husband bury his head into her shoulder, simply enjoying the feeling of having her wrapped around him like a glove, again. When she got used to the size, she impatiently began to rock herself against him. Before she knew it, they were bucking against each other as hard and as fast as they could manage.

Hunter pulled her hands from around his neck and brought them together, in front of him. Carefully, he made it so that she was leaning away from him, with her back arched. The position almost resembled a ninety-degree angle.

"Shit," she got out as she felt her spot being hit repeatedly. Perfectly. Distantly, she thought about how she wanted to claw at his back. But, she couldn't because he still held her hands prisoner as he worked her body from this creative, wonderful angle. Feeling her muscles contracting around him, he dipped his head and used his mouth to sneak over the top of her bra and suck at her breasts. How he managed to do that, pay each one equal amount of attention and keep up his pace inside of her, she didn't know. Was too lost to really think about anything at the moment.

Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. Her body gripped him like a vise as she tensed up. Her chorus of moans filled his ears and urged him to continue. He stopped his assault on her breasts, lifting his head to look at her. The way she struggled to keep her blue eyes from totally rolling in the back of her head was driving him crazy. He felt his own imminent release pooling in the depths of his stomach. When he finally felt her muscles reach a breaking point, he gave a few final, deep thrusts. Against him, her body shook with violent spasms and he just held onto her, allowing his release to mingle with her own.

With what little strength he could gather, he tugged on her arms, drawing her back into him. She made no attempt whatsoever to move, she simply sighed when he pulled out of her and nuzzled her head into the crook of his neck. For a few minutes, he just held her close, using his finger to stroke up and down her spine.

As if on cue, the house phone began to ring again. Weakly, Stephanie reached out to grab it. "Hello?" Was her breathless greeting.

"Stephanie!" her father exclaimed. "Where the hell is Hunter? I've been trying to call him!"

"He was...busy." _Not a lie, _she thought, innocently. "Here he is," she announced, handing over the phone.

She winced as she heard her father's voice rise, clearly berating her husband. She snickered when Hunter defended himself with, "It's not my fault Vince. Stephanie needed me to do something." _That's right...I needed you to screw me silly, to make up for lost time. _Absently, she pushed his hair back from his face. Hunter held up his hands and said "All right, all right. Sheesh" before hanging up the phone.

Reluctantly, he turned his gaze to her. "He bumped up the meeting by half an hour. I've gotta go."

With understanding, she nodded and removed herself from his lap. As she bent over to retrieve her jeans, she chuckled as he whistled at her.

When they were both fully dressed, he picked up his duffel bag and crossed to her. "Do you have everything you need here?"

"I do at the moment, but one crucial element is leaving," she told him, with a small pout.

He laughed at her. "Let me rephrase. Do you need me to go to the store or anything?"

Stephanie picked her next words carefully. She didn't want to remind him that she was carrying another man's child. The past thirty minutes had been perfect; her world seemed to be back in order. Even though that was a lie – things were still complicated. But, whenever they could forget about that and simply be together, she'd take it and deal with the consequences later. "I've got enough food and stuff," she reassured.

"See you later," he told her.

"Hurry back to me," she insisted, delighted when he smiled at her and nodded. He gave her a lingering peck on the cheek and she felt her desire for him well up again._ You've gotta be kidding me, _she inwardly cursed her hormones as Hunter turned and walked out of the front door.

Stephanie watched him peel out of the driveway, sending him off with a wave. She didn't quite know if what they just did meant or changed anything. Really, she didn't care. She didn't believe that this was the last time they'd share such an experience. But, if it was, it was an awesome way to end it.

Tingles continued to radiate throughout her body. The things Hunter could do to her with a simple touch were absolutely absurd. With a bounce in her step, she happily made her way upstairs for a shower.

So distracted and full of joy as she was, she didn't sense the icy cold stare that was fixated to her retreating form. Didn't notice the man turn his head away in disgust and stalk across the lawn, to his car. _I tell you, it's bullshit! _He seethed on his drive to the arena. The Princess was supposed to pay. And so she would. They all would


	14. Shifting Responsibilities & Priorities

Monday, March 3, 2002, continued

In the production meeting, he glowered back and forth between the two men that were the bane of his existence. The woman wasn't here, she was practically on house arrest. The three of them had tried to ruin his life, his career, countless times. Yet, he managed to always rise above it and enact some semblance of revenge.

For the most part, the revenge schemes were simple and straightforward. He basically just kicked their asses and moved on. But not this time. Things had gone too far. His plan needed to be more intricate. He needed to make sure the three of them paid at the very same time. He needed to take from them, what had been taken from him.

He'd been watching the woman for a while now. At first, she was easy to get to, because her and her husband were at each other's throats. Then she had turned to Chris Jericho for all of one night. Then she was in the hospital thanks to his actions, then back with her husband. It was like a damn merry go round trying to get her alone.

Quite frankly, he didn't have the patience for this. As an active member of the roster, he couldn't just take off after her whenever he pleased. That would draw too many questions. Furthermore, it wouldn't be long before someone noticed that his ex had gone missing. As if anyone knew for sure that she was his ex. What had happened between them wasn't common knowledge. Not yet. She had wanted her privacy. But as soon as the police got suspicious, they would investigate. They would look to him as the most likely culprit for her disappearance.

Really, he thought he'd covered his tracks well. But, he'd been watching a lot of crime shows lately. He knew that no matter how well he seemed to have cleaned up the scene, it was highly likely that something had been left behind.

And if they found her body, he would have to quit the games and go after his target without the...style that he had originally planned to. He wanted to drag this out. He wanted to torture her and everyone who cared for her with the waiting and the confusion. Then he wanted to make her vanish. He was going to leave enough clues so that they'd know where to find her. But, the clues would be scant enough that it would be too late to save her life, when they did.

His gaze tracked over to Hunter. He had seen the last bit of their interaction this afternoon. The fact that Stephanie was currently protected was a nuisance, for sure. But, it made things more interesting. Where was the fun in killing a helpless, sitting duck?

On the other side of the room, Hunter sat, totally oblivious to the stares of the other man. He was in a very good mood. He couldn't get his and Stephanie's sex session out of his head. With the way his mind was working overtime, to force the images of his wife to project inside of his memory, he would definitely need a cold shower soon. Not even the ridiculously boring – and in his mind, unnecessary – meeting Vince had called could dampen his spirits.

He literally had no clue what the crazy, old man was ranting about but he was grateful when the meeting came to a close, without Vince asking him any questions. Chairs scraped against the tile, signaling that everyone was hightailing it out of the room. He was about to join those ranks, intent on sending Stephanie a flirtatious text message, when a hand clamped down on his shoulder.

He turned around, surprised to see Shane standing before him. "What's up, Shano?"

Shane sighed. "Nothing, unfortunately. I've been all over the cops' asses about Steph's accident. They found the car that hit her."

Hunter's face went serious and cold. "Who was it registered to? I'll rip them apart with my bare hands for endangering her."

The dark-haired man held up a hand to calm his brother-in-law down. "It had been stolen from an airport parking lot. It was one of those cheap ones, with no security cameras. It was proven that the owner of the car was out of town. It's a dead end man."

"This is crazy!" Hunter exploded. "Some psycho nearly kills her and they have no idea who! She might still be in danger."

Shane sighed. He really did agree and sympathize with Hunter. But he would walk him through the same paces that the police had walked him through. "Have there been any attempts?"

"Well, no."

"Any threats?"

Hunter shook his head.

"I didn't think so. And that's what I told the cops, also. They're...they're writing the case off as mistaken identity. That whoever ran her off the road must have thought she was someone else."

Hunter's set his jaw. "Do you believe that?"

Now, was not the time to lie, he decided. If there was another attempt to be made on his sister's life, the people around her should be on guard. He wasn't sure of exactly what was going on between Hunter and Stephanie, but right now he was the one protecting her. "I don't know what to believe. Just...stay watchful. That's all we can do at this point." He and Hunter nodded at each other before slapping hands.

Shane walked to the podium, preparing to update his father, while Hunter exited the room and turned down the hallway.

A curious look marked Hunter's features when he felt his cell phone vibrate in his jeans pocket. He pulled the tiny piece of technology out to see that he had a text message. Stephanie had simply sent him a wink. It was short and simple, but enough to make a mischievous grin break out on his face. It was nice to know he wasn't the only one still reliving their earlier encounter. He reached his locker room and opened the door, composing his reply in his head.

When he entered the room, he stopped dead in his tracks.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" He asked his uninvited guest.

"What's it look like? Sittin' in your locker room drinkin' a beer." Stone Cold Steve Austin replied, taking another sip from his can.

Hunter stood, clenching and unclenching his fists, shooting Steve a stony glare. The man was in his locker room, uninvited and unannounced, sitting on his damn couch with his feet perched on the table. It wasn't like they were friends or even neutral. They were each other's opposition, plain and simple. He didn't understand Austin's motivation for attacking Maven on his behalf a month ago and he didn't care to. He'd been too caught up in his mess with Stephanie to give it much thought or attention.

Upon seeing how pissed off Hunter was becoming, Steve decided to remove his feet from the table and stand up. "In all seriousness, though," he held up his hands to request peace, "I'm here because I think we should dominate the WWF again. I'm thinkin' we should get back to the Two Man Power Trip."

A feral, vicious look passed between the two men. The tensions that arose when Hunter had lost his Intercontinental title, followed by them losing the Tag Team titles, vanished instantly. For the sake of success, they would put their differences aside again. And as Hunter had once said: he and Austin could trust each other as long as they were successful. This time, there would be no quad tear to interrupt that success. Plus, with Austin watching his back, he could look after Stephanie better. His mental resources could be more devoted to staying on alert for anything fishy, without letting his professional life go down the tubes.

As the two discussed strategy and who they should take out first, Stephanie managed to creep up in the back of his mind. Given all the drama that had been going on lately, he wasn't too surprised that he had missed a finer detail. Someone must have been following her around when she made her deal with the doctor. Someone had recorded their conversation. Chris Jericho was after her affections and there was every possibility that it could be him who had done it. After all, he _was _the father of this child so why wouldn't he want to announce to the world the that she was trying to cover that up?

But then again, he had been poised to knock her out knowing that she was pregnant. Maybe he just hadn't considered the possibility that he was the father at that time. When he overheard their conversation outside of the dressing room, it had sounded like Stephanie was informing him that he was the father. But, if he was the one to record the conversation, he would have already known that fact.

On top of that, Stephanie had claimed that she and Jericho had an ongoing love affair. The other man hadn't denied it and had even dared to call the house for Stephanie. If he loved her so much why had he looked like he was about to attack her just a couple of weeks ago? If neither of them cared if he found out about the affair, what was the purpose of pretending like he still hated her that night?

None of this made any sense. Chris Jericho made no sense. He rubbed at his temples in an attempt to beat back the migraine he felt forming.

The only explanation that straightened the situation out was one he didn't want to come face to face with. Jericho was not the one to follow Stephanie and record her meeting with the doctor that day. Which led him to the frightening conclusion that someone else had followed her. Obviously the person had been within striking distance of her and not done anything. That thought eased his mind a little. It probably wasn't the same person who ran her off the road. The cops were likely correct that her accident had been a case of mistaken identity.

But, clearly, someone was up to something and as long as Stephanie was under his care he would be on top of his game defending her against whomever and whatever it may be.

And damn it.

_Damn it, this shouldn't be my responsibility. _Here he was speculating on who was or wasn't after Stephanie and why. He was teaming up with Austin again and the first perk he thought of was that he can devote more time to keeping Stephanie safe. After all of her dishonesty and treachery it was still his instinct to protect her. She was still his priority.

What sick spell had she cast over him anyway? This couldn't be normal. It had to make him certifiably crazy that he had opened his home...the home they once shared, to her. It was ludicrous that he was the one accompanying her on her late night food craving journeys.

It was...it was completely and totally shameful that she had managed to seduce him this afternoon. She'd sauntered right up to him, kissed him and he reacted as he used to. He reacted by returning her physicality, as if she hadn't lied, manipulated, betrayed and lied some more. As if she hadn't shattered his dreams.

Never before her did he so much as think about becoming a husband or a father. Then she'd sweet-talked...or evil-talked, depending on the perspective, her way into his life and he had been damn near defenseless. He fell for her hook, line and sinker. And he was elated that she was in this just as much as he was. Because the truth was that they were never supposed to have a romantic relationship. He was breaking the rules, but it was for her. And she'd apparently wanted him to toss the rule book out.

So, his dream became of remaining her husband and having children with her. She'd made his dream come true when she announced her pregnancy. Then, just as quickly, it was all snatched away from him. The reality was that she wouldn't be having his child and he wouldn't remain her husband. She'd been screwing Chris Jericho and was all set to run off with him.

But once he got over his anger, that didn't quite seem right, either. Not only did she not turn to her supposed new love when she'd had her accident, but she seemed to be perfectly content to not speak to him at all.

And she'd been acting...wifely. As if nothing had happened and they were just the happy couple again.

Stephanie made no damn sense either, he decided. So her and Jericho could go be two, senseless peas in a pod. Let them get as tight as fucking sardines. Because he was done. He didn't know what exactly was going on with her, Jericho, the doctor, and the mystery car but he refused to care anymore. Stephanie was like poison for him. Before he knew what had happened, she had seeped in and drained him of his willpower, dignity and intelligence. Again.

This had to stop. She would ruin him, if he allowed it.

Hunter sighed and ignored Austin's curious stare as he got up, grabbed his gear and walked to the bathroom. According to Steve, one of the things that he missed during Vince's meeting was that they were paired up tonight. They had a tag-team match against the Dudleys. Not too bad for a warm up match. They could definitely use the practice at being partners again. And if it turned out that they just didn't flow properly on the same side again, at least he was skilled enough to handle the Dudleys on his own.

It turned out to be an unnecessary alternate plan. They had left Bubba Ray and De'von beaten, bloody and unconscious, next to the announce tables they had put them through. It was good to know that as a team they functioned as a well-oiled unit. They'd set their sights on joint gold and would make sure they'd accomplish that goal soon.

But first, he and Stephanie needed to have a very serious talk. Apparently that would have to wait until morning, since he found her passed out in the guest bedroom when he arrived home. He just hoped he could hold onto his resolve until then.


	15. What Do You Think?

Hey all! To clarify: Stephanie did not actually have sex with Jericho. When she woke up in ch. 1 they were naked in bed together, though. Jericho is just letting her think that they had sex because he wants to break up her marriage...in a later chapter he paid the doctor to tell her she was 12 weeks pregnant (which would mean conception happened around Survivor series...she and Hunter hadn't been having sex at that time, which is why she thinks there's no way it could be his baby), but she was really only 8 weeks along (which, after Stephanie's car accident, the physician mentioned to Hunter but it totally went right over his head b/c he was so upset over Steph).Hope that clears things up and now we can all be appropriately mad at Y2J for being so deceitful and selfish :-D

Hope you enjoy this chapter, let me know! I'm working on the next installment of Boomerang! And actually, the next WAN is 3/4 done.

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Tuesday, March 5, 2002

For the third time that morning, Hunter poked his head inside the guest bedroom. The fact that Stephanie had been knocked out cold when he got home the night before and had yet to wake up was worrisome. But, as long as she was breathing, she was probably fine. Silently, he inched farther into the room. He could see the rise and fall of her chest, in accordance with her breaths. She was still alive and well.

Yet, he was unable to make himself leave the room. Instead, he walked closer and lightly trailed his index finger across her cheek. She looked so peaceful while she slept. And vulnerable. The thought that someone had nearly killed her not that long ago was at the forefront of his mind. When she was awake she was fiery. She was conniving. She was crafty. She was...Stephanie. But when she slept and her guard was totally down and she had no tricks to play he saw her for what she was at the core: a defenseless, pregnant woman. There was no doubt about that, because in her sleep her hand rested on her stomach.

Hunter felt himself start to get the slightest bit angry. He and Stephanie should be celebrating her pregnancy. He should be laughing at or comforting her during her baby-induced mood swings and cravings. But, he wasn't able to. Not all the time, anyway. The telltale signs of the life growing inside of her only seemed to remind him of what could have and should have been his. Not that he could tell Stephanie that, though. Especially not while she was in such a helpless position. It was his current duty to make sure she had everything she needed and then some. His anger could wait. He moved from her bedside and made his way downstairs.

Truth be told, he had no idea what to do. Part of him wanted to be rid of Stephanie for good. Hunter assumed that was the rational side of his brain speaking. However, the emotional side just refused to let her go. No matter how much damage she had done to the relationship they'd had. The two sides of his brain were at a stalemate, with neither side making enough arguments to win out over the other. The one thing that did manage to prevail on both ends is the fact that what Stephanie did was wrong. So wrong that he didn't know if he would ever be able to forgive her. Hell, she had yet to apologize anyway, so maybe she wasn't after his forgiveness.

The soft echo of a phone ringing in the distance broke Hunter's train of thought. He quickly spotted Stephanie's cell phone lying on top of the coffee table, spinning in circles as it vibrated.

Without hesitation, he picked it up and placed it to his ear, muttering, "Hello."

"Who is this?"

"You called me."

"Maybe I dialed the wrong number. I was looking for Stephanie."

"Right number. Wrong person, she's sleeping right now. Who is this?"

"This is Chris. I haven't heard from since yesterday and I was just calling to check up on her."

Hunter snorted indignantly. "She's a big girl, she doesn't need some jackass like you to play Mommy."

Chris laughed. "Tell my two favorite people that I called, Hunter."

"Like hell I will!" He yelled before flipping the phone shut and throwing it across the room. Luckily the wall was a bit far and the phone fell to the carpet, causing it no damage whatsoever.

"What was that about?"

Hunter closed his eyes, clenching and unclenching his fists in an attempt to calm his fury. Chris' little comment about his "two favorite people" didn't go unnoticed. In fact it severely pissed him off. This just wasn't fair. He knew that his silence was going to elicit more questions out of Stephanie. Questions he didn't feel quite ready to answer. In his haste to find something, anything to say all he managed was, "Huh?" The fact that it almost came out almost intelligently made him want to give himself a pat on the back.

Stephanie moved from the bottom of the staircase and over to stand behind him. "I heard yelling and then I come down to see some projectile being hurled across the room. How come?"

"Just got a little frustrated with something."

"Want to talk about it?" She asked as she gently placed her hand on his shoulder.

Hunter stared at her hand before he turned around to look her directly in the eyes. "Not with you!" He blasted, without a second thought.

She dropped her gaze to the floor and put her hands at her side and whispered, "Okay. Well, if you need to talk, I'm here for you."

He didn't reply, only shifted his gaze to the wall and clenched and unclenched his jaw. _I will never share any feelings whatsoever with you again, you scorpion woman! _

Stephanie sensed his thoughts and nodded sadly before pressing a light kiss to his cheek and walking off toward the kitchen.

Hunter watched her walk away from him. Her posture looked so defeated. Now, he felt bad. It wasn't like this situation was just now surfacing. They had been dealing with it for three weeks. Maybe she thought that the fact that they'd had sex, meant they were okay again. And maybe they were, right up until he took the time out to consider all the things that were still wrong with this situation. Really, he didn't want to be mean to Stephanie. He just wanted them to get through this month of recuperation and then distance himself again. He couldn't think clearly when she was around. Hell, he couldn't think clearly when she wasn't around, either, due to the memories that flooded his brain.

He walked into the kitchen to see her rummaging through the refrigerator. "I'm sorry about that," he said lowly.

Stephanie kept her back to him as she sliced up some fruit. "It's okay, you don't have to apologize."

Hunter nodded, even though he knew she didn't see it. The situation was so confusing. He had no idea what to say to her anymore. Normally, he could just let all of his feelings out. He couldn't do that, now. She had been through too much and he didn't want to jeopardize her or her baby's health. "Still…you were only trying to help. I shouldn't have gone off on you like that."

"No, it's okay. Really. I don't know what I expected you to say. Of course you wouldn't want to talk to me more than necessary."

"It's not even that, it's just-"

"Please stop!" She interrupted loudly. "Stop trying to explain. I get it, Hunter. You don't have to make yourself more polite or anything on my account. I thought that yesterday might mean you were ready to give it another go with me. But, I see that I was wrong."

Hunter tried desperately to ignore the twinge in his chest. He could hear the pain in her voice when she spoke. It was cracking, so he knew she was struggling to not cry in front of him. He wanted to comfort her. He wanted to run to her side, tell her he loved her and that he would try to work on his anger towards her. Try to get past everything that had happened recently. But, he couldn't, because telling her he'd try to get over it might very well be a lie. He wasn't sure if it was his pride, or if the rational side of his brain had finally trumped the emotional side.

"Stephanie, I don't understand you. You tell me our marriage was doomed and it was time to stop pretending it wasn't. You go out and have an affair with someone I can't stand, get pregnant and then tell me you're happy I know about it. Now, you suddenly want me to take you back...although you haven't actually asked me to," he rambled. "But you're hurt because I won't? What the hell kind of game are you playing?" He asked incredulously. Because that's exactly what was going on here. That was exactly what had happened and what was currently happening. Stephanie had to be the most irrational person he had ever known.

Stephanie turned around and opened her mouth to speak, prepared to tell him the truth, but he put up his hand to silence her.

"Don't answer that. You probably don't even know the answer. And it doesn't matter anymore anyway. We'll be out of each other's lives in a few days."

Whatever sadness Stephanie was feeling, turned to anger as she felt her McMahon temper flare up. "Why wait? Clearly you don't want me here so hopefully I'll be out of your hair in a few hours, not days," she told him irritably.

"But, the doctor said-"

"Fuck what the doctor said!"

Hunter pointed at her and said sternly, "You need to cool your jets, Stephanie. You're in no condition to be flying off the handle."

"My only condition is that I'm pregnant," was her matter-of-fact retort. "I'm sure that being in this house arguing with you isn't helping my situation. I'm going to get the hell out of here."

"You don't have to do that," he told her. "I'm sorry I keep yelling at you."

"Stop with the apologies. Please! You don't mean any of it."

"Yes, I do."

"No you don't!"

"Yes, I do, or I wouldn't bother saying it."

"You don't! You just don't want to be responsible if something goes wrong with my baby. You felt guilty because we were arguing before I got in my car accident. Guilt is the only reason you allowed me to stay here. Don't try to pretend any different."

"Is it so bad that I had a soft spot for you?"

"Screw you, Hunter. Your soft spot is for my child, who is innocent in all of this. You couldn't care less about what happens to me," she spat at him. "I wouldn't want you to be worried or anything," she stated sarcastically, "So I'm going to call someone to come and get me."

Inside his head, Hunter was yelling, _I do care! Why do you have to be so difficult?_ He couldn't bring himself to say that. He wasn't even sure how things had escalated to this point. And truth be told, his head wasn't clear enough to try to figure it out. Maybe Stephanie was right. Maybe she should go. He nodded calmly and said, "Do what you feel is best," before walking out of the kitchen.

Stephanie stood there, not quite sure what to feel. Why was it so hard for her to just tell Hunter the truth about what happened? That she didn't cheat intentionally. That she loved him more than words could ever say. That she never viewed their marriage as doomed. _Maybe it's because every time I'm about to tell him, he interrupts me and says something rude, insulting or hurtful. _Then again, it was her fault for not telling him the truth as soon as he'd overheard her conversation with Jericho. It was, in fact, her McMahon pride that told him those lies in the first place. He had a damn good reason to hate her guts. _I screwed up by pretending I didn't care_, she thought. When the time was right, she would tell him the truth.

But, for now she needed to apologize for losing her head. She ran at a half-jog and caught up to him at the top of the stairs.

"I'm sorry for that," she began.

Hunter stopped in his tracks and turned around. He drew his bottom lip in and nodded his head in acknowledgement. "Well, I already apologized for blasting you, so..." he trailed off, deciding that looking at the floor was better than looking at her.

"Yeah. Yeah you did."

They stood there in awkward silence for a few moments. "Do you think that this is only hard on you?"

Completely taken off guard, Hunter's head snapped up. "What?"

"Do you think that this is only hard on you? That I'm not suffering too? Hunter, I have to walk around on eggshells here. I can't talk about my pregnancy or you'll get mad," when she saw the temper flare in his eyes she hurried to say, "Rightfully so. But, I never know when you're mad at me or when you're not or why. We don't talk about anything worthwhile anymore, if we talk at all."

"Whose fault is that Stephanie?"

"I know that this is the biggest mess, Hunter. But we were in trouble long before this. But you haven't answered my question. Do you think this is easy for me? Do you think I enjoy this distance?" She gestured to the large gap that was currently between them. "Do you think it's easy for me to be hesitant to touch you...to kiss you? To know that at any moment you'll probably reject me? To...to give my body to you one day and not know if you'll want me around the next day? Do you think that it doesn't hurt me?"

Hunter threw his arm out to the side, then allowed it to thud against his jeans. This whole situation was beyond his capacity for comprehension. "I don't know what to think anymore, Stephanie. I really don't. Let's just," he shrugged. "I don't know, try to get through the rest of the month without biting each other's heads off again."

"Ok," she agreed and watched in silence as he walked off. His last comment had been a dismissal and not an invitation for conversation. She hadn't forgotten that when she was in the hospital he said that he loved her. Maybe something she had said or done since then had changed that. Hell, he'd admitted to having a soft spot for her circumstances and hadn't denied that he felt partially responsible for her accident. So it was entirely possible that the guilt had gotten the best of him while he stared at her unconscious form and he said something he didn't mean. "Do you hate me?" She asked quietly of his retreating figure.

He froze for half a second. If her eyes hadn't been glued to his every muscle, she might have missed it. But, as he picked up his stride again, she heard him answer. She wasn't sure if he'd intended for her to hear it, really. It was _that _quiet. And when she had asked the question it was practically a whisper in and of itself. He could have easily pretended to not have heard her. Maybe he was, given that his reply managed to be even lower.

But she'd been listening intently. And he'd said no.


	16. This Night Belongs To Our Foolish Hearts

Hey all! I decided to put this one up, since it was mostly done...only had to write another page or two for the beginning piece. Hope you all enjoy it. It's pretty sad!

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Sunday, March 17, 2002

After an hour of attempting to go back to sleep, Stephanie finally decided to get up. Or, rather, her stomach had finally won out and protested so adamantly that she had no choice but to get out of bed and get herself some food.

Hunter wasn't downstairs when she finally made her way into the kitchen. She changed her destination momentarily, to go peek out of the front window. His car was gone. As far as she could tell, he hadn't left her a note about his whereabouts. But, she had no right to get upset about it...they weren't technically together anymore. She tried to tell herself that his random disappearance was just plain old rude and inconsiderate since he was supposed to be looking after her. Tried to pretend that it didn't actually hurt her that he would just take off. Before things got so screwed up, neither of them just went ghost without saying – or leaving – a word.

And there it was again: the thought that had caused her to stay in bed, desperately attempting to repress it. Today was the end of her one month stay with him. Right up until she woke up this morning, she had held out hope that they could talk about this day...that he would, tell her she was welcome to stay longer. Maybe even forever. But that hadn't happened. She didn't bring it up and neither did he. But, they did exactly what he had suggested, by keeping things civil and light, without biting each other's heads off again.

Yet, that hadn't solved anything. She'd rather argue with him than allow this day to come and go without stating her case. Without telling him how she really felt. Instead of following her desires, she had honored his wishes. And _this _is what it got her.

She had no clue how to start the conversation that she knew she needed to. Perhaps it was his intention to stay gone all day, in hopes that upon his return she would already be gone.

A new determination filled her. If Hunter wanted her to go, he could tell her to her face. It wouldn't be hinted, implied or insinuated...he was going to have to outright tell her that her month was up and show her to the door.

The hopeless feeling that had threatened to engulf her, vanished. _Fine by me, _she thought. _I'll be right here waiting when you come back. _She hummed a random tune as she set about making herself something to eat. It was already past two o'clock. Pregnancy was seriously screwing with her internal clock.

Hours later, the sound of keys jingling in the front door lock, brought her out of her sleep. She sat up and rubbed her bleary eyes. It looked like there was no sun left at all. She had no idea when she had fallen asleep. She'd sat on the couch eating and watching TV, waiting for Hunter to come through the door. But, hours had gone by and he hadn't shown up or called. And apparently, the boredom and anxiety had knocked her out cold. She licked her dry lips, and smoothed down her hair.

When the door swung open, Hunter's hazel eyes went wide. His eyes darted guiltily. "Steph, you're..."

She arched her eyebrow, daring him to admit the fact that he had purposely avoided her the entire day and was shocked that she was still here.

Hunter decided to backtrack. "Hi."

"Hi. How was your day?" She asked, in a friendly voice. If he wanted to play the innocent route, they would. She wasn't even going to acknowledge what day this was supposed to be.

"Good. Got a lot of...errands done."

Her eyes scanned his empty arms. _Liar, _she thought. "That's good."

Hunter closed and locked the door, before stepping into the living room fully. "How was your day?"

"It was all right. Slept through most of it, really."

He nodded and decided to ignore the fact that pregnancy tended to make women exhausted. He wouldn't start a fight. They had been doing so well with not arguing lately. That was mostly because they hardly spoke...and when they did it was about total nonsense.

But, she had to go. He couldn't live like this anymore. Couldn't live with her, knowing what she had done to him and trying to contain his feelings about it. Very soon, she would be showing anyway. She couldn't be here when that happened. He would be liable to yell at her every minute of every day.

Hunter swallowed in an attempt to soothe his dry throat. God knows he didn't want to do this. He wanted _her_. And that made him completely insane, given what she had done. Stephanie was like a damn addiction. And it was time to kick the habit. He couldn't worry about her anymore...her actions signaled that she didn't worry about him. At least not while she had been out fucking Chris Jericho on a regular basis. His explanation for how they got to this exact place was that after he found out the truth, Stephanie must have realized what a bad decision that whole thing had been. It wasn't uncommon for married men to do that; go toy with a long-term mistress, then when the wife finds out, be all remorseful.

And if that was the case, it changed nothing. "Are you packed?"

His abrupt question momentarily stunned and confused her. "Packed?"

"Today marks a month that you've been here," he reminded, attempting to be gentle. Being that he was so angry, it came out as neutral, which was better than filled with rage, at least.

Stephanie sighed and closed her eyes. "Hunter, baby, don't do this."

"I have to! We can't be together," he urged. Self-preservation instincts told him that he had to do this quickly.

She jumped off the couch and walked over until she stood directly in front of him. "Why not? Huh? I love you and you love me. Most couples that stay together through rough times don't even have that much. But we have love...we can make this work."

Hunter scoffed. "That's presumptuous."

"What is?"

"You, assuming I love you."

Considering for a moment, Stephanie chewed her lip. _Total, complete honesty, _she reminded herself. "I assume nothing. You told me."

He threw an arm in the air. "Months ago, Steph. Before things went to hell, yes I-"

"Weeks ago," she corrected. "At the hospital."

Hunter sucked in a breath. _But damn it, she was unconscious!_ Then again, it did explain why she hadn't fought against him being her caretaker for the month."You...you heard that?" When she nodded, he continued. "You were hurt; I felt responsible." He shrugged indifferently.

There was no way – no way in hell she was letting him off that easy. The very fact that he had allowed her to stay with him this last month, was akin to having a stamp on his forehead that said he still loved her. She had no doubt about that and could see it clearly now. It wasn't simply guilt or obligation that he felt towards her. Not given the nature or topic of all the fights they had gotten into over the last thirty days. People hurt each other all the time and they were no exception. People also failed to fall out of love immediately after being hurt and she was sure they were no exception to that either. "Maybe...but I know you, Hunter. There's something still here and you know it. You just won't admit it to me when I'm conscious." At his shake of the head, she went on. "We've had some fun since things went to hell, Hunter. Our late night food rendezvous, our normal meals together. Regular couple stuff. Through our crazy situation we had moments where we forgot about it. Moments like the one where we kissed when you were supposed to be heading off to Raw," she reminded him.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, he closed his eyes. He knew exactly where she was going with this. "Don't. Just stop."

"I won't stop," she insisted, growing more confident in her words by the second. "We made love, Hunter. I mean, well, it was more frantic than making love generally is, but there were some tender moments," she blathered.

He shook his head. "It doesn't matter."

"The hell it doesn't! You're supposed to hate me, but when I asked you, flat out if that was the case, you said no. You probably didn't mean for me to hear it, but I did. You want me out of your life so much, but you're intimate with me in every way that counts. The only time you can resist having a good time around me is when you actively try. So _you, _stop. Stop thinking about everything that's wrong, all the complications we have and just follow your heart. Let it lead you to me," she urged.

All of a sudden, it was too much. This was too much. "I did!" He exploded. "I followed my heart, it led me to you and look where we are, Stephanie! You had an affair, got pregnant and tried to pass the kid off as mine. You keep coming back to me...making these pitiful expressions when I'm mean to you, as if nothing's changed. As if I don't have a reason to be angry with you. And it works, damn you! I actually feel sorry for you and apologize to you when I'm mean."

"I'm not trying to make you pity me," she interjected.

He ignored her and continued. "Meanwhile, fucking Chris Jericho is on top of the damn world, knowing you're having his baby, rubbing it in my damn face whenever he can. Yet, he's not the one who's been taking care of you. I have and I don't know why. Just over a month ago you told me you never loved me and were glad I found out about your affair. But every time I'm near you you're so damn" he struggled for the word, moving his hand in a circle in the air "Fucking happy and jolly and shit like that."

"That's because-" she started, then shut her mouth again when he kept speaking.

"My heart is in knots, my head is fucked up...I can't fucking concentrate on any damn thing because of you. You and your betrayal, your lies and whatever the hell this," he gestured between them "is now. And I can't take it anymore!"

Stephanie opened her mouth to speak. She was shocked, but didn't know what else she had expected him to say. And she didn't know how to reply.

"So you want the truth? Huh?" At her nod, he took a step back, muttering "fucking hell" repeatedly while rubbing a hand over his beard to steady himself. "The truth is yes. Okay? Yes, I still love you. But I can't be with you, Stephanie. It will literally tear me apart...like it is now. I can't forgive what you've done, but even if I could, how could I ever trust you again? How could I trust you enough to have a healthy relationship? That's the kicker...the problem. None of this is healthy."

This was it. She had wondered when would be the right time to tell her husband the truth. It needed to be when he had his mind open enough to listen to her...to consider them as a couple again. This was the moment she'd been waiting for. "It's not what you think, Hunter. Not exactly."

"Then please, enlighten me," he replied, wryly. "Anything you have to say that could make this less messed up is welcomed," he added, sarcastically.

"I didn't have an affair, per se. It wasn't ongoing. It was...it was just one night."

Only one question managed to form in his head. "When?"

"After Survivor Series...I got drunk and I don't really remember what happened. But, the next morning I woke up naked to...to...him."

Distantly, Hunter remembered the event. He was still rehabbing for his quad and this was the winner-take-all match that would determine the future of professional wrestling. Her team lost and he'd tried calling her, but had no luck. When he finally got a hold of her, initially she snapped at him, but apologized immediately. Now he knew why she'd been upset.

Sensing where his thoughts had taken him, she felt the need to elaborate. "I'm not trying to make excuses or blame you, Hunter, believe me. But, that night, I didn't hear from you at all." When he tried to interrupt, she held up a hand. "I know, we discussed this later. But, at the time I was convinced you didn't care about me and we were over. So I got wasted...I went back to my room. Alone. I still felt hurt by your silence, so I went down to the hotel bar and drank some more. Jericho found me, falling all over myself and insisted on helping me to my room. I wasn't really in a position to decline, since I'd literally fallen flat on my face, when I tried."

At this, Hunter cracked a small smile. She never was one to hold her liquor well.

"So yeah, that's how it started. But, afterwards he started going all mushy asking me what it meant, then saying he loved me...and all sorts of craziness. But it doesn't matter what he feels or not. It doesn't matter that this child is his - and you have no idea how much I wish it wasn't. I want you and only you."

He blinked at her. This was unreal. What she had done was still awful. But, the fact that she hadn't decided to screw him over repeatedly made him feel...confused. What had been the purpose of digging herself into an even deeper hole? "Would you like to explain to me why you led me to believe you had an ongoing affair and were happy with the baby's paternity?"

"Damn stubborn McMahon pride. I wanted to...take control of the situation a little, you could say. You were so mad and saying such hurtful things. So, I covered with that, to throw you off. I tried telling you the truth in your hotel the day of the accident."

Hunter stared at her, calculating. This was...better, he'd decided. But, it didn't change the fact that she'd broken her wedding vows – vows she had fought with him to try to renew. And as a result of her tryst, she was pregnant. Logically, he just couldn't see how he'd ever really get over it, with a reminder growing bigger every day in her stomach. He hated to think of how much worse it'd be when the baby was actually born. And having Chris Jericho as a permanent fixture in their lives? He wasn't sure if he could do it. Didn't want to drag himself or Stephanie through an emotional rollercoaster, while he tried. Certainly, he didn't want an innocent child to be hurt in this, either.

Taking a deep breath, he grabbed her hand and placed it to his chest at the location of his heart. "That, wants you" he told her. At her blinding smile, he shook his head sadly. "It might always be that way, I don't know. But I'll tell you what I do know, Steph. We can't do this." When she started to protest, he dropped her hand and placed his index finger over her lips. "I know myself well enough to know this is the kind of thing I won't be able to fully move past."

Tears welled up in her eyes and before she knew it, they were rolling down her cheeks. "Won't you try?" she asked, placing her hands on either side of his face. "Don't you love me enough to at least try? Please?"

"I love you enough to let you go. To stop us from tearing each other apart this way." He placed his index finger under her chin and lifted until his lips pressed against hers softly. A sigh escaped him as he pulled away reluctantly. "It'd be torture, for me to convince you I could get over this, be with you again, only to come to you one day and tell you that I can't." She dropped her hands from his face to wrap her arms around herself. She was pulling herself together. Literally. It felt like she was about to split in two.

"Try," she repeated in a whisper, attempting to stay composed. When he said nothing, she let her emotions break free. He raised his hands to her cheeks and attempted to wipe away her tears.

Soon, he realized this was futile; there seemed to be no end in sight to her crying. Against his better judgment, he pulled her into his arms and let her cry it out against his chest, cursing himself when she began to shake and hyperventilate.

"Please, Steph," he begged. "I can't stand to see you hurt. And this isn't good for the baby." He whispered into her ear, rubbing her back in a soothing, circular motion. After a few minutes, her sobs turned into quiet sniffles.

Pulling away, she avoided his gaze, fixating on what used to be his shirt. "Sorry," she muttered, wiping the last of the tears from her eyes.

"It's just a shirt. I'm glad you're better now." He rubbed a hand up and down her arm.

_Better? Is that what this is? Cause I swear I feel like my heart was just ripped out of my chest. I'm never going to be better. Maybe I'll be "okay" at best. _Continuing to avoid his eyes, she looked down at her cell phone. "I'm gonna call Shane to come pick me up," she declared.

"It's late, leave him be," was his suggestion. "Another night won't kill us," he told her with an easy chuckle.

Returning the light laugh was instinctual; it was contagious. But, it felt hollow. Fake. Another night, being so close, yet so far away from the man she loved might just kill her emotionally. She wondered if he was blind to that possibility when he cordially reminded her that the guest room was all hers, said goodnight and headed up the stairs.

To save her marriage, she'd done everything she could. Bared her soul, told the whole truth and broke down into a crying, begging mess. But he'd made his decision. And he wasn't as angry with her anymore, like she'd hoped.

So in a way, this was a kind of victory. She was a winner. But what was her prize? Absolute misery? No, she needed more, needed to feel something else. _What the hell? I've got nothing left to lose. _After all, the worst he could say was no. Already, the plan was for them to sleep separately anyway. If he responded negatively to her idea, her request, she'd return to the default plan.

Determination and desire joined up with misery and carried her up the stairs, down the hall and into his room. The door was open, so she walked right in. Hunter had just stripped off his shirt and was pulling back the covers on his favorite side of the bed. Silently, she walked up behind him and ran a hand down his bare back.

Hunter turned around, surprise evident on his face. "Hey, Steph. What's up? You need anything?"

"You" was her simple answer and to prove her point she wrapped an arm around his neck to pull him down for a kiss.

For a few seconds he engaged in the lip lock, forgetting everything he'd decided and told her downstairs. Then, his memory returned and he gently pushed her away. "Stephanie," he sighed, with his hands still on her arms.

"I know," she admitted, pressing her forehead into his chest. "Believe me, I know. But if this is the last night we'll share this house together, I want it to be this way. For this one night can we pretend nothing's wrong?"

Hunter stiffened. "That will make things harder in the morning."

She pulled back to stare into his eyes. "I know that, too."

He released her arms and sat on the bed, chewing his lip in concentration. This would only cause them both more pain, in the end. They had already acknowledged their understanding that their relationship was over. It would probably take them both a long time to recover from it, as it was. Why should they add more time to the recovery period?

Searching her eyes, he saw many things. Lust and sadness were the clear winners. That fact tore him up. He realized, he wanted their last memory together in the home they would no longer share, to be a good one. He'd take her sorrow away and make her content. Take her yearning and satiate her. She'd do that for him, too. They'd have this moment, have each other tonight, one last time and start living their new lives tomorrow. "Hell of a way to go out, Princess," he told her, with a poignant, bitter smile. Then he opened his arms to her, wrapping them around her body when she straddled his lap. Their kiss was tender and their touches gentle and lingering. Each one had a desperate need to memorize everything about tonight, everything about each other. When they were both spent, they cuddled. Quickly, she started drifting towards sleep. He watched her, studied her features and the lazy, satisfied smile teasing her lips as he ran his hand up her bare back and into her hair. Something similar to a purr escaped her lips when he began massaging gentle, random patterns into her scalp. He lay there until he fell asleep, enjoying the peace and closeness, even if it was only for one night.

Monday, March 18, 2002

Daylight seeped in through the window, directly onto Hunter's face. Out of habit, he rolled over and threw his arm to the other side of the bed. He was surprised when his fingers connected with cold sheets and a solitary slip of paper.

He sat up in bed, rubbing his hazy eyes, noting that it was already noon. He always did sleep in late, when Stephanie kept him up all night like that. The length of time he slept was directly related to what time he went to bed. For Stephanie, it never mattered much, she was just a morning person. At least that's how she used to be. Now that she was pregnant, the time she woke up varied. He grabbed the paper and read it. It was Stephanie's handwriting and the message she'd left was uncomplicated. By the somber, reminiscent tone and the fact that she'd clearly left the bed long ago, he knew she was gone from the house, too. Somehow, he couldn't force himself to move, so he just sat in bed, reading the note over and over again.

It said:

Thank you for these last couple of years. I can't describe the experience in this one note. Most of all, thank you for last night. I know it couldn't have been easy for you, but it meant the world to me.

I hope one day you can give your heart out again. Even if it's not to me. But know that you have mine forever, regardless.

Stephanie


	17. 180

Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter! This chapter is pretty bad. Not like badly written or anything, but as in really sad and then just plain mean/scary/weird. LOL. Nonetheless, I hope you guys enjoy it and look forward to the next installment. Let me know your thoughts on this one! :-D

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Thursday, April 4, 2002

At first it was like a feeble chill. One that began in her stomach, moved up to her chest, blanketed her eyes and finally reached the top of her head. Having nowhere else to go, the chill exploded like an atomic bomb and sprinkled back down to encompass her entire being.

Except the wetness wasn't fine mists of snow. The tears burned her eyes as if she was slicing an onion right beneath them. Over and over again, the moisture gathered in her eyes until the space couldn't hold any more. Continually and silently, it rained down her cheeks and passed over her jaw and chin before landing on her soft, pale lavender robe, darkening the material in undignified blobs.

Stephanie shut her eyes tightly, willing herself to stop the madness. After all, it was ultimately her own fault that things had ended up this way. She didn't have the right to feel so sorry for herself.

Yes, Hunter had shut her out during his rehab. It's not like the distance was anything new. He tended to do that whenever he or their relationship was going through something. And normally she gave him his space and waited patiently until he came around. But his rehab had been several months long. Rather than being locked outside of his heart for days or weeks, she had been an outsider for months. Not that she had noticed that much, after she'd run off to attempt a hostile takeover of her father's company, with her brother.

By the time she started wising up to the fact that the space between them was now the equivalent of the Grand Canyon, it was practically too late. Oh sure, when she was able to make it down to visit him, things seemed fine. But, that was because their time was limited, special and mostly consisted of pleasing each other physically. Their marriage was practically in shambles due to the lack of emotional intimacy, disclosure and companionship and they both knew it. And stubbornly, they both were too chicken and absorbed in their individual problems to fix it.

_And then Survivor Series happened, _she thought, dragging a hand over her eyes as she sniffled loudly. It was bad enough that she had lost her inheritance, her dignity and her husband. Now, she was stuck with Chris Jericho, her former nemesis, as a permanent fixture in her life.

She looked around her still unfamiliar surroundings. She was no longer welcome in the home she had built with the love of her life. Shane had offered her the guest bedroom, but she hadn't wanted to impose for too long. She had stayed with him for two weeks. In addition to not wanting to disrupt his life, she didn't want to see his "I told you so" look on a daily basis anymore. She was more than aware that she'd been her own worst enemy as of late. All she wanted to do right now was be alone and wallow in her misery.

There was the option of returning to her childhood home. She was on good terms with her parents again. But, still. Her mother was one of the most honest, genuine, trustworthy individuals she had ever met. There was no way that she could truly understand or sympathize with her own daughter, seeing as it was her betrayal and manipulations that had struck the fatal blow in her marriage. After all, her father had cheated before. And now Stephanie was truly her father's daughter.

No, she didn't think Linda would be there to support her at all. And she didn't want to hear the lectures about how she was reaping what she sowed. She already knew that, thank you very much.

Her funds were mostly at a stalemate. They certainly weren't increasing, but weren't dwindling either. Of course she'd blown a considerable amount of her money on ECW, but she wasn't foolish enough to have spent every last dime. Her emergency fund would tide her over while she figured out what to do. Until then she would live normally, instead of lavishly.

Spending her money on a hotel just to be in depressed solitude seemed financially reckless. As did finding some house or apartment to rent. Until she secured employment, there was no point in doing that. Eventually, she would have to discuss the future.

And instead of talking to Hunter about it like she should be, she'd be discussing it with Chris. This was his child she was carrying. And like it or not, he had half a say in how and where they would raise it.

So, right now his solution was for her to live with him. She'd rebelled against the idea at first. But in terms of security, it seemed like her best bet. Plus, with his extensive travel, she would mostly have the house to herself.

It was on a Sunday afternoon that she had finally taken Chris up on his invitation. She knew that on the following day he would be off on the road again and she would blessedly be on her own. He hadn't pressed her to share the master bedroom that one night. In preparation for her arrival, he'd moved his things to the guest bedroom and given the master bedroom to her.

Other than for sleeping and showering, Stephanie wasn't comfortable in it. And for the three entire days that she'd been here, her routine had mostly been the same.

_Wake up, eat, cry, shower, nap, cry, eat, shower, sleep. _She diversified by watching different movies and television shows. Sometimes she had ventured out for food. But, those core events stayed the same.

"How long will this last?" She muttered aloud, reaching out for the carton of chocolate chip ice cream again. She dug the spoon out and took a hefty bite before placing the items back down on the coffee table. As she chewed, she pressed her hands to her eyes in an attempt to stop crying so she could think clearly.

She didn't know the answer to any of the elements of her situation. Her tears and melancholy seemed to stretch on endlessly. If it wasn't for her baby she might just lose the will to live. God knows that was the only thing keeping her from feeling completely dead inside. How long would Chris graciously allow her to live here, while she moped on about losing her marriage to a man he loathed? Especially when he himself was claiming to love her.

When he called to check on her, he was probably annoyed that she was still a weeping mess. The days and conversations mostly blurred together, but she was fairly sure she had rambled on about her estranged husband more than once. It was little wonder that Chris didn't hang up on her during those chats. Here she was living for free in his house, using his cars and things, all the while she was wailing about her life being over. In reality, it was just beginning – or at least a new chapter of it was. One that included her baby and Chris Jericho.

She should be trying to get closer to him. Or at least show her appreciation for his generosity. In a few months they would be parents together and she really didn't want to alienate her only ally that wasn't solely connected to her by shared blood.

Stephanie looked at the couple in the cheesy romance that her channel surfing had brought her to. She had no idea what she was watching, but the man was professing his love for the woman, right before he grabbed her face and kissed her passionately. She quickly decided to just turn the damn television off. Not that her thoughts and memories were any less painful than watching some happy couple frolic on screen.

She sat in the modest, but nicely decorated living room. With no one's arms but her own wrapped around her. That thought made her feel even more pathetic. She grabbed one of the plush couch pillows and hugged it tightly to her torso, lying down on her side. She scooted until her head could lay against the armrest. She curled into a ball, wishing she could sink into the cushions, the springs, the floor, the earth. A fresh onslaught of tears came and she didn't bother to keep things quiet. After all, she was alone in this house.

And utterly, completely broken-hearted over the way her life had done a complete one-eighty. More devastating was the fact that she'd been the one to cause it to spin into that position. Was there anything she could do to get it to go forwards or backwards in that same amount? It would conveniently bring her back to where she started.

Several hours later and hundreds of miles away, Hunter jolted out of his sleep. He rubbed a hand over his bleary eyes that had yet to take in his surroundings. "Stephanie?" He asked, reaching out next to him, fully expecting to find her there. His hand connected with cold leather, instead.

"She ain't here, man," the distinctive, Southern, male accent drawled to him.

Jesus Christ. He had fallen asleep in the locker room he shared with his partner, Stone Cold Steve Austin. That's how unfocused he had been for the last two weeks. He thought that having Stephanie out of the house and his life would be the best way to break the sick addiction he had for her.

Apparently, he had been sadly mistaken. Regular sleep eluded him at night. And during the day he found himself slumbering randomly in places that he shouldn't be. And when he did sleep, his dreams tormented him.

He'd come to sarcastically think of the dreams as the "Good times" reel. It was like his and Stephanie's life played out before him while he slept. Conveniently, his subconscious left out all the fighting, arguing and pain and only showed the happy and tender moments.

And those were too numerous for him to try to count.

The fact was that he and Stephanie had truly been content and solid right up until his injury. Things had gone downhill ever since and neither of them bothered to pump the brakes to stop it. Now, it was far too late and irreparable damage had been done. Their marriage had crashed into a tree and died, essentially. Or at least that's what he kept telling himself; that it was over and there was no way for it not to be.

But clearly a part of his brain had other ideas. In his sleep he was helplessly forced to watch how untouchable their love used to be. The exact content of the dreams varied, but they always ended the same.

Suddenly, the scene would change. Stephanie would be standing alone and visibly pregnant. Her face was somewhat confused, but mostly frightened as she cried for help. Whatever the background had been, would start to be covered up, darkening in random splotches. Almost as if dirt was being haphazardly thrown onto the memory. Onto Stephanie...as her body and features became marred by the material. Her screams would finally be muffled out, the silence seeming to stretch on forever, before the dream ended.

And he always woke up in such a state of panic that he completely forgot that he'd sent her away. He always expected her to be lying beside him, ready to reinforce the fact that she was okay. But, of course she was never there and the realization of that never hit him any less hard as the days they had been fully apart blended together seamlessly.

Hunter swallowed roughly and turned his head to his partner. "How long was I out?"

Austin shrugged. "I've been in here about ten minutes. You were out when I got in."

He nodded. "My fault, man. I've really been out of it lately."

The other man grinned and reached over to grab his tag team gold. He wiggled it for emphasis. "Hasn't been affecting you too much. You, on sleep deprivation is obviously better than these other yahoos at full steam."

Hunter laughed and reached over to pat his own championship belt. The man had a good point. Personally, he was suffering. But, at least his professional life was still intact.

A knock on the door startled both he and Austin. Hunter held up his hand to his comrade, signaling that he'd handle it. He pushed himself off of the couch, stretching his arms and legs. He walked over to the door and yanked it open to find Michael Cole standing on the other side.

"Uh, Triple H," he began timidly.

"Cole," Hunter said simply.

"This uh," he cleared his throat. "This arrived here just now, with your name on it."

The smaller man shoved the envelope into Hunter's hand and scurried off. It was well known that The Game didn't care too much for surprises and he didn't want to be around in case this one was slanted towards the negative.

Hunter frowned at Cole's retreating form, shaking his head. He stepped back into the locker room, closing the door. He ignored Austin's questioning gaze and reclaimed his position on the couch.

His big hands tore open the envelope and he pulled out the note folded inside.

_The biggest fish in its immediate area should never get so confident in its position that it forgets about the other predators waiting for that very opportunity. _

He wrinkled his nose in confusion. This note made absolutely no sense and he really wasn't in the mood for any damn riddles today. He stuck the note back in the envelope and rolled his lips together thoughtfully.

After a moment, he decided to call bullshit on this subtle threat. If someone wanted to come after him, so be it. He could use the distraction anyway. Anything to get his mind off of the lingering thought that he needed to somehow help his estranged wife.

His dreams clearly had it backwards. She wasn't the one in danger; he was. And if he was being honest with himself, that thought actually put his mind at ease. He could take care of himself, but he was no longer in a position to do that for her.


	18. Intuition

Hang in there, guys! LOL. Not too much farther to go before Stephanie finds out the truth. Don't hold me to it, but perhaps within the next 3-4 chapters. I'm gonna attempt to end this one at ch. 25. We'll see. Thanks for the lovely reviews. And YES JESS you should get an account. LOL

That is all. Enjoy! Threw in some sporadic, slight humor.

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Monday, April 8, 2002

Stephanie stood in the bathroom mirror eyeballing her figure suspiciously. She lifted her shirt with one hand and her eyes narrowed. She used her free hand to run all around her stomach. It felt like there was possibly a baby bump.

She turned to the side and arched a curious brow as she tried to see any signs of the life growing inside of her. But, she saw very little. Her stomach seemed to be have a circular expansion of some sort sticking out. Nothing major or all that noticeable. She was 20 weeks along now. She'd done research on how the baby was developing. She knew that the eyes had moved from the side of its head, to the front and it no longer resembled an alien. She knew that the baby's reflexes had made great strides.

In fact, while she poked at her tummy, the baby was most likely squirming in response even though she wasn't able to feel it. That wasn't uncommon given that this was her first pregnancy.

But, the sight of her stomach didn't scream that she was 5 months pregnant. And had she not specifically been looking for it, she would have missed the small bump entirely. If it wasn't for the inappropriately named morning sickness and her desire to eat everything in sight, she would have no clue that she was pregnant. She would just think she was having digestive issues. That bothered her.

A knock at the door startled her and her grip loosened, allowing her shirt to fall back over her jeans. Jeans that really shouldn't still fit her at this stage. "Yeah?" She answered.

"You okay in there?" Chris asked.

If she wasn't still so upset that he was like a living, breathing roadblock between her and Hunter she would have smiled at his concern. But, he was a roadblock – an instrumental part of why her marriage fell to the wayside. And as such, no matter how hard she tried she just couldn't genuinely be happy that he was around...that he would be around for the rest of her life. Like it or not, they were forever bonded.

"I'm fine," she reassured him. Physically, she was fine. Emotionally was another story. Even if the hormones weren't throwing her off kilter she would still probably be struggling with the demise of her relationship.

She'd allowed depression to almost consume her for 3 whole weeks. And then she decided it was time to start living again. Not for herself – she really couldn't care less about her own well-being. But, the fact was that her baby's health was directly linked to hers. She couldn't allow herself to fall any deeper into her pit of despair.

Stephanie had to get out. And she'd decided to do so by coming back to the business she loved.

"Can I come in?"

Unfortunately for her, she did so alongside Chris Jericho. Her nose wrinkled with her attitude as she mimicked what he said, in the mirror. She sucked in a breath, plastered on a smile and said, "Sure."

He opened the door and stepped in. For the last twenty minutes she'd been in here doing God knows what. _Probably hiding out from me, _he thought. He wasn't an idiot and he knew that he wasn't Stephanie's first, second or even third choice for a father to her child. He was willing to go out on a limb to say that he was probably on the list of people she didn't want for that position.

But, she'd get used to the idea. She had to. Right now she thought she was carrying his baby. It was impossible, but she didn't know that. Maybe one day after he built a solid relationship with her and she was madly in love with him, he could ease his conscience by telling her the truth.

That time was not now. Not while a strained smile was all the affection she had for him.

He was all Stephanie thought she had. He'd make damn sure to be on his best behavior so that she grew to trust him and appreciate him for being there for her.

"What 'cha doing?" He asked innocently.

Stephanie shrugged and touched a hand to her stomach absently. "I was feeling around for signs of life," she joked mildly. "With the way I've been eating I can't believe I'm not bigger. Or that my stomach doesn't look like I've eaten a soccer ball. It's so-"

"Well, every pregnancy is different!" He interjected quickly and loudly. He watched Stephanie as her head tilted in confusion at his outburst. "I mean ju-just because you haven't gained much weight doesn't mean that – not all women have the same...it's perfectly normal," he stuttered and finished awkwardly.

Stephanie blinked and nodded. "Ooooookay," she dismissed, turning back to the mirror. What the hell was wrong with Chris? Maybe he was freaking out thinking that the baby wasn't developing normally. She couldn't deny that those same thoughts had crept up in her mind.

The last time her baby was checked on was when that maniac ran her off the road. That was nearly two months ago. She was supposed to go see a doctor about once a month for the first two trimesters. Technically speaking she should have seen a doctor not long after her one month stay with Hunter was up.

But, she'd been far too distraught over how that ended up to remember. And then she'd spent the next couple of weeks wallowing in misery and shoving ice cream down her throat during the day and obliging her random cravings at night.

She sighed. The mental admission that she'd been a little selfish and careless made her want to cry. Nothing could be wrong with her baby. It just wasn't acceptable. And she needed to start taking steps to ensure that this pregnancy would continue normally. "Can you find me a phone book?" She asked of Chris.

He had been standing by the door with his hand still on the handle. His eyes burned a hole in the ground as he inwardly kicked himself for potentially rousing her suspicions. Now, he looked up at her, crinkling his brow in confusion. "Why?"

"I need to find an obstetrician before we leave the area on Wednesday."

His brow crinkled further. "Why?"

"I'm overdue for my next appointment. They need to check up on me and the baby."

"I'm sure everything's fine," he disagreed in a calm voice. The last thing he needed was for a doctor to tip her off that the baby she was carrying wasn't his.

Stephanie shook her head. He didn't understand. "I'm supposed to see a doctor once a month. It's been almost two."

"Fine," he threw his hands up in acquiescence and stomped out of the bathroom.

_What the hell was that all about? Does he not want me to take care of his child or something? _Granted, neither one of them planned for this to happen. But, he had always seemed genuinely excited that she was pregnant. Either that was changing or there was something else very strange going on with him. And it had to do with her pregnancy.

She lifted up her shirt again. She pressed her lips together in thought. Whatever was wrong with Jericho, it seemed to have started because she was nervous about not showing much, given that she was almost in the middle of her second trimester and halfway through her pregnancy in general. And now, he was two minutes away from going berserk because she wanted to see a doctor. It made no sense.

Before she could contemplate any further, she heard the crowd roar from the TV in the other room. Curiously, she stepped out of the bathroom and sat on the armrest of the leather couch.

A knowing smirk graced her face. Hunter had apparently just hit Hardcore Holly in the head with his sledgehammer outside of the ring. The referee was shouting at them to get back inside. While distracted, Stone Cold Steve Austin hit Crash Holly in the head with a chair and quickly tossed it aside where the referee couldn't see it. He stepped over a half-conscious Crash and over to the referee, arguing that he was going to make him lose his match. The ref complied and turned around to keep an eye on the legal action. Austin hauled Crash to his feet and quickly gave him a Stunner.

It was over. Austin and Hunter were still the tag team champions. Even though she wasn't with him anymore, she couldn't help but be proud of him. He had always worked very hard at his career. Possibly even harder than he'd worked at their marriage. It was good, yet painful to know that when he was truly determined, nothing could stop him from succeeding – even if he had to be a little underhanded.

Just a few yards away, Hunter and Austin walked in companionable silence. They'd already congratulated each other on a job well done. No other words needed to be spoken. They were on a high that could only be reached by being at the top of the wrestling food chain.

They walked side by side with their belts displayed proudly. Hunter had his slung over his shoulder and Austin had his around his waist. Both men stopped dead in their tracks at the blonde wrestler who was – by the looks of things – about to cross their path.

Chris simply gave a head nod, before turning and entering his locker room, with the phonebook tucked under his arm. He spared Stephanie an annoyed glance before tossing it down on the table in front of her.

Stephanie opened her mouth and almost asked him to remove the furry animal that had most certainly crawled up his ass and died. Instead, she shrugged at his attitude, closed her mouth and set about the task of finding a doctor with an opening within the next 48 hours.

Hunter stood outside of Chris' dressing room breathing heavily. "What the hell is he doing?" Was his lowly hissed question.

"Uh, looks like he had a phonebook."

He rolled his eyes and began walking again. "I know that," he replied rudely. "What does he need it for?"

"Maybe _he _doesn't," Austin implied pointedly. Vince had held a meeting earlier in the day and informed everyone that Stephanie would be returning tonight. If anyone so much as breathed in her direction wrong, they were fired. He wasn't taking any chances that one of the brutes that worked for him would hurt his precious, pregnant baby girl.

"Well, what's he done to her that she'd need a phonebook? Answer me that, since you know so much," he commanded sarcastically.

"You are losing it, Hunter!" Austin exclaimed. "You sound ridiculous. Maybe she wants to find a shoe store...maybe she wants some Chinese food delivered. Who the hell knows? Stop doing this to yourself!"

Hunter blinked, stunned at the outburst. Was he really that bad? He thought about it for a moment and decided that getting worked up over a phonebook was absurd and paranoid. But, he couldn't help himself. The damn dreams were relentless. He just couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen to her. He didn't feel like sharing all of that with his partner. But, he was grateful to be brought back down to earth. "Thanks," he muttered, pushing open the door to their dressing room.

Austin waited until Hunter was seated on the couch. He watched him put his head in his hands and tug his blond hair in agitation. "Look, Hunter. I'm gonna level with you."

He lifted his head. "Please don't," he asked seriously.

"You obviously still love the woman."

Hunter snorted. "Yeah, unfortunately."

"Can't blame ya. She really is something."

"Hey!" Hunter exclaimed, with a pained expression on his face.

Austin shrugged sheepishly and smiled. "I know the feeling. Me and Deb went through a time of uncertainty, too."

Hunter gestured to the wedding ring Austin left on the table right before their match. "Obviously, you straightened it out."

"Obviously," he agreed without further elaboration. "What I'm sayin' to ya is you gotta make a decision. But all this mopin' around, not sleeping, flyin' off the handle for no reason," he shook his head. "Eh, eh! It ain't gonna cut it."

Hunter stood up and stepped closer to his partner. He bit his lip to quell the burning rage that simmered beneath the surface ever since he spotted Jericho in the hall. He just _knew _Stephanie was in his room. He'd heard the rumors that she had moved in with him. "If you know what's good for you, stay out of my personal life."

Austin gave a wry, short chuckle. "I can't. Not when ya bring the shit to the arena with ya. It ain't because she's actually here tonight, either. This here," he gestured to the inwardly disheveled mess that he currently was, "this has been goin' on for weeks."

Hunter nodded. That was true, but it was irrelevant. "As long as we keep these titles, it doesn't matter."

With that, Hunter turned around and plopped back down on the couch. He hoped that would be the end of the conversation. It was a very valid point.

Austin sat down on the loveseat, leaning forward. "Let me ask you somethin'...how long do you think that's gonna last, huh? See, we're partners and I see and talk to ya just a bit more than the others. How long do you think it'll take these vultures to see the state you're in and start pickin' away at us? Hell, you can't watch my back. Not when you can't fully cover your own."

"Do you have a point?" Hunter asked incredulously.

"Yeah. Be with the woman or not. Either way you still love her. But, you need to make a damn decision and stick by it. Once you do that and are okay with what you decided, get your shit together before we get knocked off our high horses."

Before Hunter could respond, there was a knock on the door. "Come in," he said gruffly.

One of the young stagehands...whose name he had never bothered to learn, came in timidly. He walked over to the couch and simply dropped an envelope in Hunter's lap before sprinting out.

_Jesus, I can't believe all of these employees are that scared of me, _he thought, tearing into the paper.

His hazel eyes scanned the words quickly. He dropped the items from his hands, got up and went over to the small table in the corner. He backhanded the lamp off of the table, making it smash into the wall. He picked up the table and threw it across the room.

The table collided with the dressing room door, leaving a slight indent. Two of the table legs broke.

Austin sat silent and with a wide-eyed stare.

Hunter ran a hand through his hair angrily before walking back over to read the irritating, typed words again.

_An eye for an eye. A tooth for a tooth. You ruined it for me. So I'll take it away from you. _

Hunter was sick of this shit. If someone wanted him, they could come and get him. He had enough crap to deal with without trying to decipher what these stupid, cryptic notes meant. Just like with Michael Cole, he knew the stagehand wouldn't know where it originated from either.

It was true enough that Hunter had wronged a lot of people in his life. His list of enemies seemed to constantly grow if for no other reason that he liked to use unnecessary brutality during his matches. So, it was useless for him to try to overanalyze the situation trying to figure out who was behind this. That would just drive him even crazier that he'd already become over the last few weeks. And really, he didn't care who it was. He could deal with it. But, he was out of the mental energy necessary to enjoy these riddles and the thrill of having a cerebrally formidable opponent.


	19. Lie To Me

Not gonna lie. Even I got a tiny bit choked up while writing this chapter. LOL. Still, I hope you all enjoy it. Let me know!

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Wednesday, April 10, 2002

For the fifth time in the last hour Hunter picked up the phone, only to lose his nerve before the line started ringing. He wished this wasn't so hard. He just wanted to talk to Stephanie. To check that she was safe and sound. If she was happy, that would be even better.

Maybe then the dreams would stop. He could start sleeping soundly and not constantly feel on edge. Though he certainly had no love lost for Chris Jericho...if he really was taking good care of her, he could live with that. He could let her go. Or at least let go of this feeling that she was in danger and that he had to help her.

The final ending to their relationship hadn't been filled with screaming and fighting. As far as conclusions went, it was actually kind of beautiful. Maybe that was part of the problem, too. She was so broken up about what she'd done and that their marriage was ending because of it, that it was hard to stay angry with her.

"Fuck it," he muttered out loud before finally putting the call through and placing the phone to his ear.

Physically separated from her estranged husband by just one floor, Stephanie sat in her hotel room browsing the internet. Thus far, she hadn't found a single obstetrician that had an immediate opening. So, she decided to plan ahead. In one week they would start touring the West Coast so she decided to try to book something that was more than just a couple of days in advance.

The ringing of her phone broke her concentration. She picked up the small device and brought it to her ear without checking the caller ID.

"Hello," she answered uninterestedly while she continued to browse healthcare providers.

Hunter didn't say anything at first. It didn't hit him how much he missed her voice until he heard it again. His light breathing was the only thing that alerted her that someone was actually on the other line.

Stephanie took the phone away from her ear and looked down at it. The call was still connected. And Hunter's picture was on the screen. She felt a quick stab of longing and sadness. She shook it off, realizing that he was actually calling her. "Are you there, Hunter?" She asked softly.

For a moment he stayed silent. Then, he said, "I'm here."

She nodded, though he couldn't see it. "How-" she heard the raw emotion in her voice and cleared her throat. "How are you?"

"I'm all right," he answered honestly. A more concrete answer would depend on what aspect of his health she was referring to. He was fairly awful emotionally speaking. "How are you?"

"Managing." _Though, there are days when I think I'd rather just die than feel the pain, _she thought. It was ironic that her baby kept her as strong as she could be. It gave her a reason to take good care of herself physically. And to not fall apart entirely, emotionally. Yet, the very fact that it existed was why her marriage couldn't continue. Talk about irony.

"But you're fine, though?" He attempted to clarify. "Safe and happy?"

She felt the tears burn her eyes and her throat suddenly become constricted. She inhaled deeply and audibly. The last thing she wanted was to go to pieces on the phone to him. But, she couldn't help it.

Hunter chewed his bottom lip. He ached to comfort her and tell her everything would be okay. But, it wouldn't be. Not between them at least. God, he knew this was a bad idea. After how upset she got the last time they had a conversation about their relationship, he should have expected this. It wasn't her fault that he couldn't break this strange tie he felt to her. He had no right to call her out of the blue and make her cry like this.

He closed his eyes and used his free hand to rub at his forehead as he listened to her shed her tears on the other line.

"Safe?" She asked. "I guess so, Hunter." She shook her head, wondering how the hell her life had ended up like this. God knows she never thought they would end up this way. Not with how in love they used to be. There was a time when it seemed that the world could have come crashing down around them and they wouldn't have noticed.

If it ever was to end, she certainly didn't think that it would be by her own doing. She loved him far too much to screw things up. Yet, that's exactly what she had done. She still couldn't get her mind around the fact that she had cheated. Had she been possessed? Things weren't the greatest between them at that time, but she had never entertained the idea of finding someone to replace him or stand in as a substitute. She was committed to staying faithful even though it had been almost two months since the last time they'd made love. How she had decided to throw away her morals, fidelity and marriage vows on one night with Chris Jericho of all people was something she would never be able to understand. Or forgive herself for.

She exhaled deeply before deciding to just lay it all out there. "I've never been more unhappy in my entire life," she admitted.

Hunter sighed before smiling sadly. "Couldn't you have lied to me?"

Stephanie shrugged, blinking away her tears. "What's the point?" It's not like that would change anything. Their marriage was over and it probably didn't matter how she felt. Hunter was more than aware of the fact that she would always love him and want him. And though she didn't say it explicitly, she would always be more or less waiting for him. Even if ten years went by and she wound up taken by someone else, she would secretly be hoping that he sought her out. And no matter how great that future person might be, she knew that she wouldn't hesitate to welcome Hunter back into her life.

"Maybe if I thought you were happy, this would be easier for me," he replied.

Her teeth grazed the inside of her cheek. Feeling the hot tears continue to pool in her eyes, she blinked more furiously. "You still love me?" She asked quietly.

"Apparently I can't stop."

"Then I wish you'd lied to me, too."

His brow crinkled in confusion. "Why's that?"

"It would make not being with you easier on me."

They remained on the phone in silence, with neither one wanting to express the entirety of their feelings. Hunter felt that he had no right to, given that he was the one who couldn't move past what she had done. She wanted to work things out, but it was him that couldn't handle it. He felt that he couldn't be with her, yet he couldn't fully stay away either. Either way, he was breaking her heart. He could pretend he could get over the fact that she was carrying another man's baby and just end up getting her hope's up for nothing. Or, he could let her go now and let her begin to heal and move on sooner. Neither of those options was appealing but he had chosen the second one. And here he was, failing at holding up his end of that choice.

Stephanie couldn't have felt worse if she tried. If Hunter had fallen out of love with her, she could live with it, sever all ties and maybe get on with life. But, to know that his feelings for her hadn't at all faded just made her feel like she was well and truly responsible for everything. If it wasn't for her single indiscretion, they would be together right now. They had faced and overcome many obstacles in their marriage. But, he wasn't willing to try to for this one. That was literally the only thing keeping them apart.

Since she felt like this situation was mostly her fault, she broke the silence first. "I hate this, Hunter. I hate that we're not together."

"We can't be," he corrected her gently.

Tears pricked the back of her eyes yet again and she ran a hand through her hair. "You've made that _very _clear," was her bitter reply. Yes, the biggest reason for the way things were was on her. But, he'd kicked her out of his life. And now here he was inquiring about how she was doing as if he wasn't a big part of why she sometimes felt like she was drowning. And before he called, she'd managed to come up for air. But here he was, shoving her right back underwater. He couldn't just yank her back and forth like some kind of yo-yo. Her heart couldn't take it. She decided to ask the million dollar question. "So what are you doing calling me?"

"I don't know," he admitted. God, that was a lame answer for her inquiry. But the truth was he hardly knew which way was up anymore. Kicking the ass of an opponent was the only thing he was ever sure of. Everything else was just confusing and painful.

Her jaw squared and she suddenly felt slightly more irritated than hurt. Until he called her, she hadn't burst into tears for three whole days. That was a new record. And now he had reduced her to a whimpering mess for reasons he wasn't even sure of. It didn't feel fair. If he wanted them to be apart, he needed to do his part to ensure that. "You can't do this to me. I'm not strong enough to take it. Old habits are hard to break. But, I'm doing my best. I don't call you when I'm sad...which is practically all day every day. I don't congratulate you on winning matches. I don't run to you when you fall too hard for my liking out there. I don't talk to you about my day or ask you about yours. The decision to breakup was yours, Hunter. And I'm doing my best to abide by it."

"I know, Stephanie. But love is like a drug addiction."

"Maybe you need rehab," she quipped.

Hunter chuckled softly. He'd set himself up for that one. But, it didn't make it any less true. "Maybe. Quitting you cold turkey doesn't seem to be working."

Stephanie was not amused. "You can't gradually ease out of my life, Hunter. It hurts more. You're either in or out. You picked out," she reminded him. "I'll always hope that changes. But I can't be around you when you're hanging around someplace in the middle. Not without splitting in two from wanting more than that."

Hunter nodded his head solemnly. She was probably right. He damn sure didn't like the idea since cutting off all contact hadn't been working out for him so well. He kind of wanted to try something different. But, that was utterly selfish. He took a deep breath and resigned himself to just try to find a way to get over her completely. Or at least move past her. "I understand," he assured her. "I'll leave you alone."

Again, her eyes welled up with tears. She took an unsteady breath and let out an incredulous half-snort. "You're lying," she said.

Deciding that he didn't want to confirm or deny her suspicion, he simply said, "Goodbye, Steph." He hung up before she could reply.

Stephanie closed her eyes tightly, but a few tears still trickled out of the sides. She didn't know what to feel. After two years of marriage, she could certainly tell when Hunter wasn't telling the truth. Part of that was because he was never dishonest with her. But, when he deceived others she always knew about it even before he admitted as much to her.

He'd made an attempt to be untruthful and had failed. But, what did that mean? Was he not actually going to try to leave her be? Would he try to be her friend or try to start their relationship all over again? Would either of those ideas even work?

Or had they grown so far apart that she was no longer able to tell the truth from a lie or fact from fiction?

Worse, was that she didn't know what would be the less painful route. If the last couple of months had shown her anything, it was that she sometimes didn't make the right choices. Sometimes she was her own worst enemy and caused herself unnecessary grief.

Only time would reveal Hunter's intentions. It was entirely possible that he was simply as lost and confused as she was and that's why his statement had rang as untrue. In the meantime, she needed to get back to what she knew: that she was pregnant and in desperate need of seeing a physician.

A knock on her hotel room door momentarily startled her. She walked over and yanked it open. Subconsciously, she must have been hoping it was Hunter. Because her heart sank when Chris Jericho came into her line of vision.

"Hey," he smiled at her.

She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "Hey," she answered quietly.

His blue eyes appraised her red-rimmed pair. "Are you okay?"

Suddenly, it was all too much and the intensity of her situation overwhelmed her. "No," she choked out before covering her mouth with her hand. "Chris, it just hurts so much."

Chris could make a guess as to what she was all upset about. And though he was annoyed that her grief didn't seem to be getting any better, he decided it was better to be kind and patient than a complete jackass. The latter behavior wouldn't earn him any points with her. He stepped into the room without asking and closed the door behind himself. He pulled Stephanie into his arms and allowed her to cry on his shoulder. She wasn't actually leaning her head against him fully. Both of her hands were covering her face, so the contact was minimal. But, it was a step in the right direction that she specifically broke down to him.

During the phone calls while she'd been by herself at his place, she didn't even seem to care that he was on the phone. It was like he called in the middle of her blubbering and she just continued it seamlessly. He could've been a telemarketer and she probably would have sobbed into the phone about her estranged husband.

When she began to shake, he threaded a hand into her hair and held her close. _Soon, Princess, _he thought. _Soon, you won't cry for him anymore. _

After a few minutes, the brunt of her emotional storm had passed. She pulled back and was slightly embarrassed with herself. "Thank you for being here," she uttered.

He smiled at her hugely, happy that he was making progress with her. She was starting to give him a chance. He just knew it. "There's nowhere else I'd rather be," he told her.

She wasn't sure what else she was supposed to say. It was his very presence that had unleashed her emotions fully in the first place. And he was part of the reason the love of her life wouldn't be with her. Things might actually be less difficult if he just dropped from the face of the earth. But, that wasn't going to happen. She had to play with the cards she had.

So, she'd lied. Oh well. Maybe in time, she might actually mean what she said.


	20. Open

You guys will totally hate me for this chapter. I sort of hate myself for it LOL. But, it sets us up for the next chapter or two...and will make what happens more realistic. I can't tell you exactly how because that'll ruin it, but just trust me :-)

This one's for Shannon, Jess and DLDB. Thanks for your reviews and for reminding me to update, by nudging me in reviews of other fic. LOL. Hope you and the rest of the readers enjoy!

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Thursday, April 18, 2002

Chris Jericho stood next to Stephanie while she lay on the examination table. He wanted to hold her hand, but wasn't sure if it would be welcomed by her. In the last week she'd dropped her guard and started being nicer to him. She'd extended the olive branch last Friday, with an invitation to join her for breakfast. On the outing she had been pleasant, sweet and inquisitive. She'd made an attempt to get to know him. He was happy that things were moving along to his liking. They'd been sharing three meals a day with each other for the past four days.

She seemed less depressed in general and he was happy that the reason for it was him. Then again, the reason she was ever sad in the first place was largely due to him. But, he preferred not to think about that fact. It was the past. This was the present and he was working hard to secure his future. One that would include Stephanie and the child he intended to raise as his own.

If she carried the baby to full-term, he or she would seem to be about a month overdue from Stephanie's perspective. He hadn't figured out a way around that. But, he was trying hard not to worry about it. By the time that happened, he and Stephanie would be attached at the hip.

It sounded bad, but the situation would resolve itself if she just delivered a couple of weeks early. He had no way of making that happen but he wasn't above trying to find one. As far as physical features went, he was pretty safe. Both brown and blue eyes ran in Stephanie's family from what he had seen. Hunter's hair was a darker blonde than his, but that would work to his advantage also. If the baby came out with hair that shade, it would just look like Chris' light blonde mixed with Stephanie's brown to produce the color.

Stephanie's eyes were often a pale blue. But he'd noticed that sometimes they became more vivid and sometimes they melted into a color that was a mix of blue and green. That was helpful, too. If the baby ended up with hazel eyes, it wouldn't be that difficult for her to believe that her child had inherited a mix of her and her family's colors. Genetic traits were funny like that and he was grateful.

Doctor Janine Mesmer was an attractive woman. Her lithe, near 5'5 frame moved around the room gracefully while she prepared to conduct the observation. Her dark brown hair was pulled away from her face in a ramrod straight ponytail. A wayward strand fell out and swayed back and forth over her smooth caramel complexion as she moved. Her chocolate brown, almond shaped eyes were occasionally hidden behind her thick, long set of eyelashes.

Her slender hands skillfully grasped some type of wand and dipped it into a container. Now housing a gelatinous substance, the wand was placed against Stephanie's slightly swollen stomach. She hissed at the temperature of the gel.

Both of their eyes were fastened to the image of the baby on screen. He or she was curled into the standard fetal position with its hands clasped in front of it.

"Wow," Chris murmured.

Stephanie shook her head in disbelief. "I feel like my stomach and the baby should be bigger, given how far along I am."

Doctor Mesmer smiled and shook her head. "Well, I can tell you that your baby is perfectly healthy from what I've seen. He or she is about 5 inches long and the eyes and ears are where they're supposed to be for this stage. I don't see any characteristics of Down syndrome. And your baby's heartbeat is strong."

Stephanie nodded. She could hear the rhythmic thump-thump as clear as anyone else in the room.

"Your little one is stubborn. It's not in a position where I can visualize the genital area and tell you the sex."

"Oh, that's okay," Stephanie immediately piped in. "I want to be surprised anyway."

"That works out then," Dr. Mesmer grinned and moved to wipe the gel from Stephanie's stomach. "So, just continue to eat healthy, take your prenatal vitamins and do whatever it is you've been doing. Even without the assistance of an obstetrician, it's been working," she waved her finger in a reprimanding manner. "But, don't use that as an excuse not to go. I'm going to give you a copy of your chart so that you can continue your care as you travel."

"Thanks, Dr. Mesmer."

She nodded and excused herself quietly so that Stephanie could get dressed.

At Stephanie's request, Chris diverted his eyes to the wall while she put her clothes back on. He was tempted to tell her that it was unnecessary because he'd already seen her naked. Which was true; but not in the exact way she thought it to be. But, since he was doing so good he would comply with her wishes and be a gentleman. Pissing her off wouldn't get him anywhere with her. When she announced that she was done, he turned back around. He placed his hands on her shoulders and squeezed. "See?" He asked tenderly. "I told you everything would be fine."

Stephanie sighed in defeat though she was happy the baby was coming along perfectly. "You did." She reached up to his wrist and touched it briefly.

They held each other's gaze for a few seconds before Chris uttered a soft, "I love you."

Stephanie bit down on her lip and broke their eye contact by turning her head to the side. For God's sakes, she was starting to feel somewhat affectionate towards him. But, she knew that it was from loneliness and from wanting her husband back. His call just over a week ago had really thrown her for a loop. And Chris had held her while she wept. She felt thankful and also rueful that he'd been there to comfort her. He was a large part of why she was in this mess in the first place.

But, it wasn't Chris who had done wrong. She was the one who was married. It was her that had a commitment to uphold. And she hadn't. Chris owed Hunter no loyalty. In fact, he downright detested him. So, she couldn't blame Chris for what had happened. Deflecting blame wouldn't do her any good.

Not wanting to miss a chance where she had her emotional guard down, he placed his hand against her cheek and turned her to face him again. Before she could protest or feel shocked, he quickly pressed his lips against hers softly. He lingered for a second and pulled back. His thumb stroked her cheek before his hand came to rest at his side.

"Come on; let's get out of here."

Completely confused as to how she felt about what just happened, she nodded dimly and didn't try to escape when his hand grabbed hers and guided her from the room. His kiss had been entirely unexpected. And if he'd have given her a heads up, it would have been unwanted also. But, she was actually starting to like him as a person. He'd been there for her and he hadn't been judgmental about it. He was stepping up to his responsibilities as a father and never really brought up what had happened that night as a way to hurt her. He respected the fact that if she could take it back and make this baby with Hunter instead, she'd do it instantly.

Maybe this would work out. He wasn't Hunter and could never replace our outdo him as far as partners went. But at the very least, they could be friends. She was comfortable enough with that idea now. And just maybe when her heart stopped bleeding, she would be open to more. At least she didn't have to wonder how he felt about her.


	21. Is It Only Just A Dream?

Thanks for the reviews. Jess and dldb...you so never fail to crack me up with your hatred of hhh/smh relationship-destroyers! Thanks for the congrats on the job...and I fully intend to stay out of the way of Carmageddon. I live like a mile away from the street they're telling motorists to take b/c it parallels the freeway. At most, I might walk to the beach hahaha.

For this chapter? No intro needed! Just enjoy!

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Tuesday, April 30, 2002

Hunter sat on the edge of the bed in his hotel room. He was hunched over, with his head in his hands and his fingers clenching his hair. He was a complete mess. He had been ever since he told Stephanie to leave.

It was like he was stuck between a rock and a hard place. He made her go because he hadn't been certain if he could deal with the repercussions of her infidelity. Namely Chris Jericho and a baby that possibly looked just like him. He had been livid with the situation and with Stephanie. After she revealed that it hadn't been an ongoing thing between her and Jericho, he was definitely less hurt. But, it was still there and he didn't think he could take it in the long run.

Somehow, being without her wasn't any better. Anger he could deal with. But this? Christ, it felt like he was repeatedly being punched in the gut. Maybe he was. He felt gut-wrenching terror for his estranged wife.

And it wasn't because of the weird, threatening, cryptic notes. Those were directed at him. Someone wanted to hurt him...badly. Yet, he failed to give a shit about anything other than Stephanie's safety.

Hunter flinched and pressed his fingers into his scalp harder, willing the images to fade. The memory of dream-Stephanie cried in hysterical desperation. Her voice was strained because she was choking on the dirt that was being tossed on top of her.

_What's gone can't be replaced. Settling the score is the only option._

That's what the latest riddle had said. As usual, no one knew where it came from. Then again, it was possible that this person was simply protected. If that was the case, it meant that he was dealing with someone who was more of a threat than he was. The thought was a little unnerving, but might make for a good challenge.

Except for the fact that Hunter had no idea what had been lost – or taken. Consequently, it made him curious as to how exactly this mystery person intended to make things even.

Maybe it was fucking Chris Jericho. No doubt, Hunter had stomped on his attempts for success many times over. But, who hadn't he done that to? That was the nature of the business. Step on and over a pile of beaten bodies to get to the top.

But, it would make some kind of sick, twisted sense. Success meant a lot in this company. Without it you weren't much of anything. You weren't respected and you were paid less for putting your body on the line just as much as any other guy. So maybe if Jericho felt that Hunter had stolen his chance to have a successful career, his retribution was in the form of stealing away his opportunity to be happy personally.

Stephanie made him happy. There were no ifs, ands or buts about it. And she had been drunk out of her mind, when her betrayal occurred. Maybe it was all a part of some sick plot by Jericho to steal his wife and what should have been his baby.

_No, that's stupid, _Hunter dismissed a few seconds later. It just didn't ring true at all. Besides, it wasn't like he had permanently injured or disabled the man. He could still have a great career. There would be no reason to forever tie himself to Stephanie and to actually be a father to her child, in an attempt to pay Hunter back for his misdeed's.

Other than the tag team titles, he wasn't a champion. And obtaining that gold had been fairly recent. If someone was pissed that he had it, they should be pissed with Austin as well. So, this wasn't an enemy that he made recently. That was a pity because lately he hadn't really earned any new ones.

But, the sins of his past were practically innumerable. And that was just for the ones he knew of. It wouldn't be a stretch to say that there were some people who he'd probably ruined indirectly. No, trying to figure out who had it out for him would be like trying to pick a needle out of a haystack. It was a fool's task. And he was no fool.

Then again, the fact that he'd neglected the love of his life on more than one occasion, hurt her probably more than anyone and finally let her walk right out of his life possibly qualified him as stupid. That was the summary of the situation and the details of how these things happened – particularly the last and most recent one – didn't matter so much. Judging by their phone conversation, she wasn't faring any better than he was.

The whole damn point in being apart was so they wouldn't rip each other to piece's. But, it seemed like that was happening anyway. If anything, their separation was speeding up that process. He had to have hope that it would get better with time. He didn't know what the hell he would do if it got any worse.

And that was just as far as the emotional pain he was in. Mentally, he was being tortured in his sleep by the only dream he was capable of having lately: that Stephanie was in danger.

However, no one had so much as made an attempt to get to her. Not that anyone knew of. She confirmed it herself that she was safe. And she and Jericho had been spotted eating out together. Locker room gossip absolutely sucked when you were connected to the situation. The last thing he wanted to hear was that a man he hated, was slowly but surely taking away everything that should have been his. But, at least she had some form of protection.

His contact with Shane had been minimal and that wasn't surprising. The cops had given up on the bastard who ran her off the road two months ago. Other than that, nothing had posed a threat to her physical well-being.

"Help!" The projection of Stephanie yelled through her tears as more dirt tainted the memory.

Hunter squinted his eyes and tried to change tactics on ridding himself of the nightly nuisance. He concentrated on the details.

Stephanie was standing in what looked to be a large hole. It was daylight, but barely. The sun wasn't at its highest, but it wasn't dusk either. He could easily see the sheen glistening on her skin. She had been sweating. She was covered in dirt, but her hands and wrists were the most unclean. He recognized the plain blue t-shirt as being one of his. Maybe she was wearing it because of her expanding baby belly.

It didn't make much sense, because the shirt was actually in one of his suitcases at this very moment. The sweatpants she was wearing weren't familiar to him. But, that was to be expected. She was gaining baby weight and her wardrobe would have to change accordingly. In his dream, she was showing much more than she had been the last time he saw her. But, she didn't look anywhere close to full term. Which meant that this scene – if it was a premonition – would happen within the next couple of months.

Distantly, he could hear soft, but deep grunts of effort. So, it was a man throwing dirt on top of her? Or maybe Hunter was just projecting in a desperate, sad attempt to figure this out so he could get one good night's sleep.

Survivor Series 2001

_Stephanie lay there numbly, as Chris was kissing her neck. Her good judgment was starting to come back ever so slightly and it was enough to make her regret what she was about to do. She rolled her eyes as he moved to take off his shirt. His hands returned to her body, about to take off her top."No." She said, staring up at him._

"_No what, baby?" Chris asked._

"_I can't do this." Stephanie said, pushing Jericho off of her. She was drunk, not stupid._

"_What?" He asked her in disbelief._

"_You heard me." Her voice was stern now, and she moved to sit up. _

_Jericho sighed and moved to the other side of the bed. "So what do you want to do now?" He asked, dumbly._

"_With you? Nothing. Please leave." She said, her voice not as slurred as before, as the fact that she nearly cheated had caused some of her sense to return._

"_You're making a mistake, Stephanie." He said standing up._

_She shook her head. "Almost did. Goodnight, Chris. Thanks for helping me...and for understanding." She stood up and tried her best not to wobble while she stared at him seriously._

_Understanding? Clearly she was still drunk. He didn't understand a damn thing about this situation. One minute she's all over him and the next she's kicking him out. Still, he gave her a small smile and nodded, a silent agreement that he'd let himself out. He could do nothing but watch as she returned the smile, turned off the lights and walked to the bathroom. _

_Near her hotel door, he stood in the darkness, listening to the shower run. It would be so easy for him to run in there and just take what he wanted. He hadn't heard a lock click. It would serve her right for being such a fucking tease. It wasn't his fault her marriage sucked so why did she have to torture him? _

_Stephanie sighed as she stepped out of the shower, still not feeling so hot. Actually, the hot shower had made her more light-headed. She toweled off and exited the bathroom, into the master bedroom, walking to her bed. She turned back the covers and got under them, deciding to sleep nude. _

_Jericho stared at Stephanie's form in the bed. He had thoroughly enjoyed the view and was pleasantly surprised to learn she slept with nothing on. He licked his dry lips. He wanted to do nothing more than go over there, rip the covers off of her and explain to her that they were doing this. Instead, he sighed. He wasn't that sick. _

"_This may be my only time to hold her like this." He muttered into the darkness, as he removed everything but and climbed into bed next to her. _

Stephanie jolted awake. "I said no." She marveled aloud to no one in particular. She needed to hear herself say it to know that it was real and not another dream. She remembered the conversation she and Jericho had, but after stepping in the shower it was all a blur again. Still, her rejection of Chris didn't explain him being naked in her bed the next morning. _I need to find out what that tricky bastard did. _Even though she remembered telling him they weren't having sex, she somehow ended up pregnant with his child. She'd kill the bastard herself if she came to find out that he just took what he wanted while she was all but passed out drunk.

Despite the missing pieces of the story, this changed everything. Not only had she become civil to Chris, but she was even starting to like him as a person. In her head, she thought that he might actually make a decent father to their child. That was out of the window now. Unless she had reneged on her declaration not to cheat – which in her heart she knew she hadn't – something underhanded had occurred. And that something had taken a wrecking ball to her life.

Meanwhile, Chris just sat back and watched her fall apart. He'd listened to her endless rambling and dried her tears. And had just otherwise been supportive of her predicament. He'd given her a roof over her head and taken care of her food and travel arrangements.

Because she was so goddamn lonely and heartbroken, she had finally dropped the biggest part of her guard. No, she hadn't initiated any of it, but she hadn't rejected him any of the various times he reached for her hand or kissed her lips. She didn't deepen the kisses, but she didn't move away either. She just sort of told herself it was for the best and checked out of the situation.

And he hadn't pressured her for more. Or complained when she didn't return his declarations of love.

She felt sick.

Here she was, starting to believe that he genuinely had her best interests at heart, when it seemed likely that he'd been playing her right from the start. He'd been acting weird when she wanted to visit a doctor. And now that she thought about it, it was strange that he just happened to turn up in the parking lot right after her pregnancy had been confirmed by a physician.

But, the doctor had said she was almost 12 weeks along. That meant that this baby was his and not Hunter's.

She didn't know how the hell that happened, but now she knew why she couldn't make sense of why it had.

Because she hadn't voluntarily put herself in this predicament.

Still clutching the sheet to her chest, she glanced over at the digital clock. It was 3 in the morning. As much as she wanted the truth, she'd do better once she had a plan for getting it. That couldn't happen unless she had a good night's sleep.

Despite her confusion, anger and frustration, she also felt a small glimmer of hope. She didn't know what it was for. But, given how miserable she had been, she would take what she could get.

Stephanie placed her hand on her stomach. She was just about 22 weeks along now. She rubbed in gentle circles, with a tiny smile on her face while she soothed herself back to sleep.


	22. Breakeven

This chapter exists for a couple of reasons. The first was that I needed to waste time, story-wise, to make her pregnancy farther along. The second is because I frickin love this song and wanted an excuse to use it LOL. Plus, this encounter had to happen sometime. And VERY, VERY soon (i.e. ch. 23 or 24) Stephanie will get the truth out of Chris so scenes like this can't technically happen. That answers part of Shannon's question. As for Hunter finding out? Wellllll without giving too much away I can't tell you. I can just say that it won't be for a good 4 or so more chapters. Since I found the flash drive, I'm mostly done writing this. But, in its absence I took the story in a slightly different direction and have to edit, add and remove stuff to make it fit haha.

The song is "Breakeven" by the Script. Lyrics are from elyrics dot net...ENJOY!

* * *

Monday, May 6, 2002

Stephanie and Chris walked down the hallway of the arena side by side. She had a megawatt smile on her face. Not because she was happy to be with Chris. But, because she finally had a plan for getting the truth out of him. Over the next several days she decided that she would just swallow her pride and appear to be in an actual relationship with him.

She had no intentions of being all hugged up with him in public. If he questioned her on it she would tell him that she didn't want it to effect her divorce proceedings.

That couldn't be farther from the truth. She and Hunter hadn't even filed for a legal separation. As far as she was concerned, they were simply in limbo. But, if Hunter thought she was in an actual, full-fledged relationship with Jericho while still legally married to him, he would flip out. And probably divorce her for real.

_Oh, holy hell. _Stephanie tried to mentally will herself to be invisible. Hunter had just stepped out of a locker room. He seemed to be confused at which direction he wanted to turn in. She silently prayed that he didn't pick hers.

Purposely, she slowed her pace and stuffed her hands into the pockets of her jeans. The last thing she needed was for Chris to randomly grab her hand in front of Hunter. Or for him to see them walking closer than was usual for friends.

Against her wishes, Hunter turned in their direction. His eyes widened in slight surprise. True to his word, he hadn't contacted her since his phone call about 3 weeks ago. And even though she attended all the live events, she had managed not to run into him ever since their last night together.

In the month and a half since the last time they saw each other, her stomach had definitely gotten bigger. There was no hiding the fact that she was expecting a child. She wondered if the sight of that would piss him off.

I'm still alive but I'm barely breathing  
Just prayed to a God that I don't believe in  
'Cause I got time while she got freedom  
'Cause when a heart breaks, no it don't breakeven

Hunter's breath caught in his throat. Somehow, she managed to be more gorgeous than the last time he saw her. Her skin was flawless and glowing. Her hair was extremely healthy and shiny. Despite the somewhat anxious, strained looked in her features, the sparkle in her eyes made her seem happy.

_Guess it's true what they say about women and pregnancy, _he decided.

Chris was the first to speak. "Hey Hunter," he greeted brightly.

Hunter had been totally content to just pretend Chris wasn't standing there. Now, he spared him an annoyed glance. "Get out of my fucking face."

Chris chuckled. "What's the matter? Jealous that I have Stephanie and you don't?"

Her best days will be some of my worst  
She finally met a man that's gonna put her first  
While I'm wide awake she's no trouble sleeping  
'Cause when a heart breaks, no it don't breakeven, even, no

Hunter squared his jaw. There was no way he would admit to that. Not when it was his decision for their marriage to be over. It made no sense that he was worse off than she was. He couldn't sleep because his dreams were haunted with memories and visions of her. As a result he was insufferably cranky and pissed off. He just felt like total shit and thus far he hadn't found a way to make it stop.

Was the problem that he totally regretted letting her go? That couldn't be it. Because he knew himself and knew that it was impossible for their relationship to continue on his end.

There he went, letting doubt win again. That's how this whole thing started in the first place. People had doubted that he could return at all, let alone be as good as he once was. In his drive to prove them all wrong, he'd mostly ignored his decaying relationship. That had been a mistake. Yes, he had long since apologized for it. But it wasn't until now that he truly understood it.

What am I suppose to do  
When the best part of me was always you and  
What am I suppose to say  
When I'm all choked up and you're okay

I'm falling to pieces, yeah  
I'm falling to pieces

No, his love for her hadn't faltered during that trying, uncertain time. But, he prioritized his recovery over his wife. In some ways, she'd made it easy by running off to try to take over the WWF. He imagined that if he had to hear and see the sadness in her voice and eyes on a daily basis, he would have changed the behavior.

Stephanie closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. "Stop it," she commanded Chris through clenched teeth. Damn him, he was making things worse. And she was positive that there was more to her pregnancy story than what met the eye. She was sure that in one or more ways, Chris was a deceitful little shit.

They say bad things happen for a reason  
But no wise words gonna stop the bleeding  
'Cause she's moved on while I'm still grieving  
And when a heart breaks, no it don't breakeven, even, no

What am I gonna do  
When the best part of me was always you  
And what am I suppose to say  
When I'm all choked up and you're okay

Hunter wanted to thank Stephanie. But he couldn't bring himself to do it. Maybe he felt that it would be akin to saying that he needed her help. That wasn't the entire truth. Apparently he just needed her, period. He wasn't fully ready to accept that or do anything about it. Especially not now that she and Chris were gutting so chummy.

All this time, he had been wondering if he could deal with Chris Jericho and his child being a part of his life for good. But, today had showed him something. He could only escape reality for so long. Stephanie's family owned the business that he loved.

Hell, it was the business that Chris loved, as well. And even if the two of them didn't end up in a relationship, he would have to see them on a bi-weekly basis or more anyway.

The difference between this situation and the alternative was that one included having Stephanie for himself and the other one didn't.

One included allowing her to resume her spot as the center of his world, but required letting his pride take a hit. The other one allowed him to continue living in denial, pretending he was more than halfway functional without her around.

But, what if this was what she decided she wanted? What if the decision on whether or not to be her husband was no longer his? God knows, it would be easier for her to start something with Chris Jericho than it would be to fix the numerous problems she had with him.

If that was her decision, he couldn't blame her for it.

I'm falling to pieces, yeah  
I'm falling to pieces, yeah  
I'm falling to pieces  
(One's still in love while the other one's leaving)  
I'm falling to pieces  
('Cause when a heart breaks, no it don't breakeven)

You got his heart and my heart and none of the pain  
You took your suitcase, I took the blame  
Now I'm tryna make sense of what little remains, oh  
'Cause you left me with no love and no love to my name

For some morbid reason, he wondered what had gone through her mind after their last night together. She'd left him a short, but heartfelt note. But, he wanted to know how quickly she packed. Did she hesitate? Did she lollygag about getting the task done?

Had she watched over him while he slept at all? If so, for how long?

Did she kiss his lips or his cheek? Had she touched him at all?

He wanted to ask her, but he had no idea why he wanted to torture himself with the answers. Maybe he just needed to know that it was hard for her to leave.

I'm still alive but I'm barely breathing  
Just prayed to a God that I don't believe in  
'Cause I got time while she got freedom  
'Cause when a heart breaks, no it don't break  
No it don't break, no it don't breakeven, no

Judging by the scene before him, she was doing just fine. Or maybe his view of what decent was, was skewed. His eyes felt unfocused and bleary from the lack of sleep. That was a problem Stephanie didn't seem to be having. But somehow, she looked like she would rather be anywhere but here. He couldn't blame her. She was probably worried that a bloodbath was going to ensue and threaten the safety of her baby.

What am I gonna do  
When the best part of me was always you  
And what am I supposed to say  
When I'm all choked up and you're okay

I'm falling to pieces, yeah  
I'm falling to pieces, yeah  
I'm falling to pieces  
(One's still in love while the other one's leaving)  
I'm falling to pieces  
('Cause when a heart breaks, no it don't breakeven)

Stephanie's gaze was sympathetic and he couldn't quite figure out why. His brain was either too tired or too overwhelmed to analyze it. "It was good seeing you, Hunter."

Hunter chewed his lip momentarily before he nodded. "You too, Steph. I'm glad you're okay."

The expression that she gave him was pained. He could read that one perfectly. Almost as if she were trying to tell him that she was the polar opposite of okay. It was there for just a second, before Chris gripped her arm and led her away.

Almost as if stuck in a strange, pitiful trance, he watched them walk off together. Stephanie shook her arm free from Chris' grasp and moved over to the side a little bit. She whispered harshly and appeared to be reprimanding him. When Chris lowered his head a little bit, Stephanie turned hers to the side slightly.

Her gaze locked with Hunter's. The one sided smile didn't last long. Not at all long enough for Chris to notice. But Hunter did. He couldn't help but smile back and he had no idea why. He found that she elicited that kind of thing out of him – thoughtless reactions.

He continued to watch until Stephanie and Chris disappeared from his line of vision and around the corner.

Oh, it don't breakeven, no  
Oh, it don't breakeven, no  
Oh, it don't breakeven, no

Completely forgetting what he had stepped out of he and Austin's room for, he walked right back in. He clenched his fists and leaned them onto the table. His chest heaved out ragged breaths. This was just intolerable. Was this what would happen every time he saw her with him? Or even just whenever he saw her in general?

The defenseless, endangered, dream-version of her flashed through his mind. He let out a frustrated yell and sideswiped the lamp off of the table. It flew into the wall and shattered into various pieces before falling to the floor.

He glared at his hand and sucked in a disgusted breath. Now he'd need to find a trainer to get the cuts bandaged.


	23. Knowledge

This chapter needs no intro. It's long and covers a couple of important aspects. Some humor in the middle. LOL.

Saturday, May 11, 2002

Stephanie showered and got ready in record time and purposely wore a semi-provocative outfit. Everyone knew that men tended to give women whatever they wanted in order to obtain some physical affection. Chris was probably no different. At least she hoped not because this was her only plan at the moment.

She'd been working on it for almost two weeks now. Chris Jericho was probably too smart to fall for it, if out of the blue she suddenly threw herself at him. But she took her time getting to know him and getting comfortable with him physically.

The attempt was fake. But, he didn't know that of course.

It had been so hard to keep her feelings and thoughts to herself when they ran into Hunter. Being the asshole that she was sure he was, Chris just had to go and try to provoke her estranged husband. From an outsider's perspective, it looked like Chris was seeking a fight. That wasn't true.

He had to know that Hunter wouldn't attack him. Not while she was pregnant and standing right next to him. She'd be willing to bet Chris would've kept his distance had he been walking alone. He was a coward, but a clever one. A less intelligent woman might not realize that he'd taken his cheap shots while she was acting as an involuntary shield.

God, she remembered how badly she just wanted to disappear during that encounter. Not because she didn't want to see Hunter. But, because he just had to stand there and take the zings that Chris threw at him.

But, that wasn't all. No, she had to ignore her guilty conscience so that she wouldn't reach out to him and blow her own plan out of the water. He looked absolutely terrible. Then again, after sharing her life with him for so long, maybe she was just more sensitive to when he wasn't feeling well. He looked totally drained. He looked tired and frustrated.

That night, his performance in the ring was sluggish. Somehow, it was still better than his competitors and he and Austin got the victory.

At least his professional life hadn't totally gone to hell because of her.

Despite the fact that she was definitely still hurting over everything, she found that it was getting better. Not the pain over the situation in general. Rather, she'd started to become used to being without her husband both emotionally and physically. Every day it became easier to break the habits she'd formed with him.

She hadn't forgotten him or their relationship. But, she had moved on. Not to another guy, but just into a life and routine that didn't include him.

And even though she wanted to get the truth out of Chris, she was finding that it was more for her own peace and sanity. It wasn't so that she could run to Hunter with the information and use it as a bargaining chip to get him to take her back.

Quite frankly, it didn't sit well with her that as soon as things got rough, he abandoned her. That seemed to be an actual habit of his when it came to her. But, this was by far the worst case of it. Granted, their situation was awful. But it was always the case with him that he seemed ready to throw in the towel whenever they disagreed.

She wasn't sure if she should get her hopes up on him only to be let down. Not when she'd finally reached a place where she didn't burst into tears multiple times a day because she missed him.

Should she risk her emotional well-being on him again? It _was _a risk. There was no guarantee that he'd take her back or even stay with her. If anything, the odds were not in favor of either of those because he'd already demonstrated that he couldn't forgive and forget. Not even for love or the life they used to have together.

It was downright terrifying to even think of truly letting him in again. She wanted to. She knew that she probably would eventually – if that's what he even wanted. But, that didn't make her any less scared.

Because people left her. And when they didn't, they simply used her for all that they could until she got wise to what they were doing. It had started with her own family, really. But, she told herself that she had long since gotten over those problems. At the very least, she was emotionally functional to some extent.

Stephanie shook her head of her jumbled, panicky thoughts and tousled her crinkled hair to give it more volume. _Showtime, _she thought.

Because she was so eager to have this conversation, she skipped breakfast. She mentally apologized to the baby growing inside of her, promising that as soon as she was done she would feed them both.

Her long legs carried her the few feet over to the door that adjoined her and Chris' rooms. She unlocked her side of it and lifted her hand to knock on his end.

Stephanie smiled at Chris' look of shock as he opened his hotel door and warmly invited her in, closing the door after her.

"So, princess, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" He asked, smiling as he sat on his bed. The pleasure was all his. Stephanie wore a sleeveless pale blue top with a black leather skirt and high-heeled boots. She was no longer with Hunter so who the hell was she all dressed up for? He knew the answer as he finally stared at her face. The look of want in her eyes was unmistakable by him.

"I'm sorry," Stephanie said while walking over to sit by him on the bed.

"Sorry for what?" He asked, swallowing a rather large lump in his throat. Stephanie was going to make him lose his mind, sitting so close, looking so sexy. He closed his eyes, as he was able to inhale her sweet perfume as she leaned in close to his ear.

"For everything I've put you through, Chris. It was wrong of me. I want to make it up to you."

He took a deep breath to stay in control. This was everything he had ever wanted to hear from her. He cautiously pinched himself without her noticing. He had to make sure he wasn't dreaming. "And-what-how do you want to do that?" He asked her, trying desperately to ignore the way her hand now trailed up his left thigh.

"I think you know." She said seductively, pressing a faint kiss to his earlobe, smirking as he shivered with delight at the sensation. Deciding to be the total aggressor in the situation, she swung her body so that she was straddling his lap.

Chris Jericho was practically putty in her damn hands. She forced down the bile in her throat, at what she was going through to get the truth. She'd imagine he was Hunter, but then who knows what the hell she'd end up doing. Nothing would be off limits. She chuckled at her inside joke slightly.

"What's funny?" Chris asked, turning his head to press a kiss to her cheek.

_Damn it, Stephanie! Think quickly! _"I was watching South Park before I came here. Kenny died." She mentally kicked herself for sounding so stupid. Who the hell thought of South Park while supposedly wanting to have sex? _Oh well_. _I hope he's too caught up in me to care._

"Hmm. Yeah, that's always funny," he murmured.

"I can't remember what happened and it's bothering me, Chris," she whispered intensely while running her tongue along his neck.

"Well, usually they tell Kenny to do something stupid and when he does it, he dies. I've seen him die all kinds of ways over the years," he told her.

_What? _"No, no, no, Chris. Not South Park, I meant us…when we made love…" she whispered, biting his earlobe, smirking at the primitive growl that emanated from him. "I can't remember a thing about it and it's bothering me. I want to remember how amazing it felt," She begged him in a voice that was almost a purr.

Chris blinked, unsure of what to say. He sat in silence, trying to think of something that didn't sound completely ridiculous. "W-we can make new memories, then," he finally stammered out.

Stephanie grinned at him knowingly. "Of course we will, baby. But, I want – I need to remember our first time," she complained hotly. "I need to…for our love" she finished, having to mentally kick herself in the ass to say that last part.

He pulled away to stare directly into her eyes. "You love me?" He queried.

_Damn it! Stop focusing on the wrong things, Chris! _"More than anything," she promised him.

"And our baby?" He questioned.

"Yes," was her instant reply. "The baby is my flesh and blood so I'd love it regardless." She hoped he'd tell her what she desperately needed to know. Her fucking mental health and parts of her life depended on it. She lightly raked her nails down his chest.

"Is the baby the only reason you love me?" He moaned out, as Stephanie had started caressing his chest and abs, while kissing his neck.

Stephanie made herself flinch as if she'd been burned. "No! How could you even say that to me?" She asked incredulously, pulling away from him. She widened her blue eyes and held them open until she was able to force them to tear up. She pouted and her bottom lip quivered.

Chris immediately felt bad. "I'm sorry it's just – I needed to be sure, that's all."

"Well to put your fears at rest, even if this baby was Hunter's, it wouldn't change how I feel about you. This time away from him has made me see that he's not the man for me. You are," she said as she resumed her position on his neck.

"That's good to know," he whispered into her hair.

"Why's that?" She asked in a breathless whisper. _Come on you son of a bitch. Tell me what I need to know. You're close. I know it!_

"Because the baby is Hunter's…" He said softly. "It's okay, though. You love me regardless, and Hunter doesn't have to know. You and I can raise this child," he promised her.

Stephanie had two choices. She could pitch a fit now or she could get the whole story out of him. She could stand up and start yelling, crying or both. And he would probably clam up. But seducing it out of him seemed to be working like a charm. She'd already have to clean herself meticulously after this anyways. She might as well get as much as possible out of him. "I don't understand, Chris. We made love. The weeks the doctor told me makes you the father and not Hunter."

She could feel his proud smile as his lips pressed against the column of her throat. "I paid that doctor to give you a specific number, baby." He ran his hands up and down her back.

_Motherfucker! _She inwardly sneered. She couldn't curse him out just yet, she wanted to know everything that happened. "Why was that necessary, Chris? The baby could have been yours, regardless."

"That's impossible, sweet cheeks," he disagreed. He groaned as she shifted to press her body more directly over the bulge in his pants.

"Why's that?" She asked softly, yet seemingly passionately. In her head she was screaming – going insane waiting for him to continue.

"We didn't have sex that night," he said regretfully. "You fell asleep."

Finally having most of what she needed, she broke her side of their embrace. She tugged on his ponytail until he looked up at her confused face. "I don't understand. The next morning I was naked and you were, too."

The explanation tumbled out of his mouth without hesitation. He was so glad this was out in the open. Now, he didn't have to feel guilty. He wasn't keeping anything from Stephanie. She truly loved him and they could move forward without him worrying about when and if she'd learn the truth. "You took a shower and slept nude. I wasn't out of the room yet so I just stripped down and got in bed with you. I thought it would be my only chance to hold you close to me like that. I'm so happy to know that it won't be." He smiled and leaned in to kiss her.

Stephanie's eyes remained open with his mouth crashing onto hers. But her lips remained still. This man had ruined her life completely and for what? _To hold me while I slept? _She began to shake.

Chris pulled back. "What's wrong?" He asked her with concern dripping from his tone and his forehead tensed in worry. He was slightly alarmed as he looked at her face. It was red and her eyes were narrowed. "Is it the baby? Are you hurting?" He asked, touching her stomach.

"Don't touch me you psycho!" She yelled, jumping up from his lap. She wiped her mouth angrily, mentally vowing to take a scorching hot shower and brush her teeth a few times when she returned to her room.

Chris' eyes widened. "Psycho?" He asked her with a confused look. Suddenly, he brightened. "Is this some kind of new role playing thing?" He questioned stupidly, with a grin on his face.

Stephanie shook her head then reared back and punched him in the face with everything she had, smirking as he fell onto the bed harshly, nearly flipping over backwards. She glanced at her knuckles, which were already bright red, though she didn't feel the pain.

Chris grumbled loudly, pushing himself off of the bed after struggling for a few moments. "Ouch! What the fuck was that for, Stephanie?" He demanded angrily.

"What was that for?" She asked incredulously. "That was for you, and your lies! You have completely destroyed my marriage and my life! Hunter hates me – he thinks I cheated with your sorry ass and I'm pregnant with your baby…and the fucking truth is all of that is impossible because I rejected you and went the hell to sleep. My child might be fatherless because of you!" She raged.

"B-but I thought you loved me." Chris stuttered pathetically.

"Get over yourself! I remembered telling you that we weren't having sex. I just needed to know what the hell you did to make me think my child was yours. You fell for it hook, line and sinker. Right now, there is no one on this earth I hate more than you!" She slapped him. Hard.

"Damn it!" He yelled at her, holding his cheek. It was nearly the exact spot where he had been punched a minute earlier. It was already swelling - he could feel it. "Stop hitting me!"

"After what you've done to me, you deserve everything I just did and more! Hunter is going to burn your sorry ass when he finds out, Jericho. Just you wait!" She promised.

Stephanie's eyes narrowed. She didn't understand the jerk's abrupt laugh. Truthfully, she didn't appreciate it either. What could possibly be funny? Jericho was a marked man.

"Is that right, Stephanie?" He smirked. "I think not, honey. You must have forgotten the way you shattered the poor man's heart. You told him you were 'doomed from the start' and that you two were over. How are you planning to explain that?" He asked with a rude snicker.

Stephanie smiled. "We already had that talk and he knows that I've always loved him, still do, and didn't have an affair with you."

Chris rolled his eyes in dismissal of her story. "Hunter's not going to believe you. And even if he does, he won't take you back. Not when you were perfectly willing to fake that the baby was his, when you thought it wasn't. And look at all you've done and said to each other since then." He shook his head and quickly swiped a finger down the dent in her chin. "Face it, Stephanie. I'm your baby's only chance for a real father." He grinned proudly while reaching for her hand. He frowned as she snatched it back.

"Fuck that! I'd rather raise my child as a single mother than ever let you near it." She whispered cruelly. "You are a sick, twisted freak! I wouldn't willingly touch you with a 50 foot pole." She told him harshly before spinning on her heel, making her way to the door that adjoined their rooms.

Chris could only stare as he watched her go. If Hunter didn't reconcile with her, she'd change her mind. He was sure of it. She wouldn't have another choice.

Inside her room, Stephanie packed frantically. She'd already called downstairs and asked to be put on a different floor entirely. No way in hell was she going to stay right next to the prick who'd carelessly and callously ruined everything for his own sick desires.

She ignored the tears that fell onto her things.

It was strange how she was convinced the truth would bring her clarity. But, somehow she didn't feel that much better. Because Chris was right. She had been willing to pretend this baby was Hunter's. That would matter to him. Her only solace was that she hadn't actually cheated on him while they were still together as a married couple.

What if he wanted nothing to do with her or the baby? What if he decided it was all too much to deal with?

Jesus, at least with Chris she knew where she stood. Not only was he willing and able to help her raise her child, but he actually wanted to. And he definitely wanted her.

Sure, it was sick. But, she wasn't a poster child for healthy relationships. Look at how dysfunctional her entire family was. It was a three-ring circus sometimes and she wouldn't be surprised if Hunter opted not to participate in it again.

It would hurt, but it would be expected.

Stephanie sniffled loudly and glanced around her to see if she'd got everything that was hers. Her eyes landed on her medical folder. God, she was an idiot. The last two weeks might have actually been somewhat unnecessary. If she had simply looked at her damn files, she would have seen exactly how far along her pregnancy was. She would have still thought she had slept with Chris. So, at some point she still would've needed a plan to get him to confess.

Her slender fingers reached out for the manila folder and she opened it.

_Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley. DOB: September 24, 1976. Age 25_

_Date: 4/18/2002_

_Weeks gestation at time of exam: 18_

That meant she was now 21 weeks along. She shook her head at the irony. Her intuition that she was smaller than she should have been was absolutely correct. She was spot-on for someone at this stage. But, she'd been ahead of her own pregnancy by a full month. Quickly, she flipped to a photocopy of the pages Dr. Jameson had faxed over to Dr. Mesmer.

_Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley. DOB: September 24, 1976. Age 25._

_Date: 2/15/2002_

_Weeks gestation at time of exam: 8_

_Car accident. Limiting activity for the next 30 days._

She turned until she found the notes from Dr. Johnson.

_Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley. DOB: September 24, 1976. Age 25._

_Date: 2/4/2002_

_Weeks gestation at time of exam: 7_

So the unethical doctor hadn't actually tampered with her medical file. He'd simply lied to her and her husband on national television. But, as long as the file hadn't been altered, she probably couldn't make him lose his medical license. With a sigh, she closed the folder and tossed it into her suitcase.

The tears blurred her vision and she was overcome with a sadness greater than she'd ever known. All of this had been for absolutely nothing. If she had simply seen a different physician for her first exam or even bothered to ask a subsequent doctor how far along she was, some of this could have been avoided. Instead, she just assumed that what she had been told was the truth. This was such a great, big mess and she had no idea where to start fixing it. She could handle her current situation since she knew what the hell was going on.

But, she had no way of knowing how Hunter would react. He was an unknown factor and at this time, she wasn't entirely sure she could take it.


	24. Run

Hehe. I've been able to update so quickly because these chapters were already mostly written. Just had to touch them up a little bit so that it fit with the direction of the post-missing-flash drive chapters. I'll have to start from scratch on the next chapter or two. I don't have anything written until the stalker situation gets kicked into super-high, dangerous gear.

I toyed with the idea of splitting this one up. But, I decided against it. Thanks for the reviews on the previous chapter(s). Enjoy!

Monday, May 13, 2002

Hunter walked into his locker room and stopped dead in his tracks. Lying right on the coffee table was an envelope with his name on it. As usual, everything was typed. Meaning he wouldn't be able to figure out who the hell sent it. And this time he had no idea who the messenger had even been. He was tired and annoyed and ready to kick any and everybody's ass.

Maybe it was for the better that he hadn't been here when the latest puzzle piece that made no sense, got dropped off.

With his duffel bag still slung from his shoulder he walked over to the table and picked up the crisp, white envelope. His big fingers tore it open. Instead of the usual solitary slip of paper, several things fell out of this particular envelope.

What he saw made his heart skip a beat. And not in a good way.

Stephanie trying on a wedding dress. This picture had been taken in February, around the time of their wedding vow renewals, no doubt.

Stephanie and Chris Jericho standing outside some sort of medical clinic. He was bending down to pick her keys up, it seemed. And she looked distraught and angry. He wasn't sure what the hell that was about.

Stephanie standing in their doorway, waving. In the corner of the picture he could see his Hummer backing out of the driveway. The timing was – God, had someone watched their passionate encounter? He felt the bile rise up into his throat.

The last picture, he stared at without so much as breathing. Stephanie's black, somewhat mangled rental Lexus sat in the very middle of the shot ominously. It was pressed up against the divider in the freeway. Her body was slumped over the steering wheel so he couldn't see her face. But, he would know her head of hair anywhere.

Unlike the other pictures, this one had a message typed neatly onto the bottom in big, black, bold print.

_Not just yet, _was the subtle warning. Whoever had sent this to him was letting him know that they had been following Stephanie for months. This person had been the cause of her accident, but had purposely not seriously injured her.

But, they intended to eventually.

"The hell with this," he muttered under his breath and exited the locker room.

Hunter stormed down the hallway, ignoring any and everybody in his path.

All he knew was that somebody was out to hurt Stephanie. At this time, nothing else mattered to him. Instinct had taken over. And it was natural for him to want to get her out of harm's way. The drama surrounding what was left of their marriage was momentarily forgotten as he reached her father's office.

Without thinking or knocking, he threw open the door and paid no attention to Vince McMahon's startled yet angry glare. He was peering up at Hunter over his laptop screen.

"Fine me, suspend me, take away my belt or fire me. I don't really give a shit. I need to leave for a while and Steph is coming with me," he decreed.

The look on his face relaxed and Vince shrugged. "Okay."

Hunter simply blinked in response. He thought Vince would have given him shit about taking time off and maybe even about demanding that Stephanie joined him. This reaction wasn't at all what he had been expecting. It calmed his temper and impatience the slightest bit. In its place he felt suspicion.

Why was Vince being so cool about this?

Why did he not even ask how long they were going to be gone?

Why did he look...relieved?

Hunter swallowed roughly. "How long have you known?"

"Known what?"

Before he could stop himself, he rushed over to the other side of the room and gripped Vince's collar. "Don't play stupid with me."

The Chairman held both of his hands out for peace. Normally, he wouldn't take this kind of thing lying down. But, Stephanie's safety was at risk and if Hunter took her away it would spare him having to hire a bodyguard. He'd actually been searching for such a company when Hunter walked in. "Just a few minutes, actually. The prior messages were directed at me."

Hunter shook his head. This could not be happening right now. "Really vague, cryptic shit that makes no sense? And then pictures of Steph?"

Vince nodded.

"Screw this," Hunter decided. "I'm getting her out of here."

Vince didn't bother protesting because he had no objections to the decision. He wasn't going to bother asking Hunter where he was going. Chances were that he wouldn't tell him anyway. He simply watched as the bigger man turned his back and stormed out just as quickly as he came in.

Apparently Chris Jericho had a big mouth. Somehow, word had already spread that Stephanie wasn't talking to him. He hadn't told anyone why. He only admitted to the issue because people noticed that they weren't seen together in the arena. Each of them had been spotted walking alone and entering separate locker rooms.

Gossip could sometimes be useful. But only if you were actually in favor of the information that was being broadcasted.

It certainly did make things a little bit easier on his end. As soon as he saw the pictures, Hunter had made up his mind that he and Stephanie were going someplace safe. Chris Jericho hadn't even entered his mind.

Now that he thought about it, the guy probably would have had a problem with him whisking away the woman who was carrying his child. He wasn't entirely sure what their relationship had been. He only knew that Stephanie clearly no longer hated him.

After passing dozens of communal and private locker rooms, he finally came to stand in front of hers. The initials 'SMH' were written in dark pink, surrounded by a black border. For some reason, he found that he wasn't irritated she was still using his last name.

Hunter raised his hand and knocked on her door. Her high, clear invitation to come in, slapped some sense into him.

He had absolutely no idea what he was going to tell her. The truth wasn't an option. After everything she'd already been through in her pregnancy, she didn't need the extra stress of knowing that someone was stalking her. He just wanted to get her to a safe place and he would start investigating.

"Come in," she repeated a little louder.

Hunter sighed and gripped the door knob with his big hand before turning it. "Hey," he greeted.

She smiled at him tentatively. "Hey."

He gestured to the open door and she nodded, indicating that it was fine to close it. After he had done so, he stepped into the room further. God, how was he going to start this conversation?

Stephanie stood up and clasped her hands together nervously. Her estranged husband still looked like he hadn't been sleeping. She had no idea what he had come here for. She wasn't even sure if she wanted to know. But, kicking things off by explaining herself seemed like a good place to start. Maybe it would positively impact what he came here to say. "Hunter, I'm really sorry for what happened the other day. Jericho was way over the line."

Hunter nodded his head in appreciation. A small part of him was pleased that he was being referred to by his last name again.

"We weren't together officially or anything. But whatever it was, it's over now." She bit her lip briefly. "Just so you know," she added quietly.

"This doesn't change anything, Stephanie."

Her hopeful blue eyes returned to being sullen. "I know it doesn't, Hunter. I don't expect to be forgiven on the spot."

Hunter nodded. It was funny how he initiated this visit and pretty much all but forgot why. Stephanie was taking the lead and she was doing it about their messed up circumstances. Maybe it was for the best.

Stephanie folded her arms across her chest. Already, her defenses were about to go up. He was being quiet and still hadn't said why he had come to her. "Well, you came here for a reason. Right? Is it to tell me you're willing to at least try to be with me again?"

"I don't know. You've told so many lies in our marriage, kept so many things from me. How do I know I can trust you?"

Annoyance surged through her. "Lies? Hunter, other than this whole pregnancy thing, what the hell have I ever lied to you about?"

Hunter glared at her. He had a long list of things she'd lied about. "Well…" he stopped. "You…" His expression softened and he rubbed his beard and then shrugged.

Stephanie laughed suddenly. "Yeah, that's what I thought. I may have lied to and manipulated other people, but never you. Just – this pregnancy thing." _And it turns out that I simply thought I was lying. God, I have no idea where to begin explaining that to you._

"You say that so nonchalantly. You still don't get it, Stephanie," he said dejectedly.

Her forehead creased with confusion. "Get what?"

"This isn't a battle of the wits or some type of negotiation. This is our lives."

"I do get that, Hunter."

"Then why do you keep trying to outsmart me? Why do you keep acting like if you make a better comeback than I do, that you win and we'll be together again?"

"You won't listen to me, otherwise. You'll just keep making excuses as to why we can't be together."

"Excuses? You don't seem to realize the extent of what you've done. You are having a baby by another man, Stephanie!" Hunter yelled incredulously.

"It happens all the time," she returned smoothly.

Hunter's eyes widened and he chuckled awkwardly. "What the hell are you talking about? It does not!"

"People being with other people, despite the fact of having a child with another person.," she explained in a jumble. Then she shook her head, realizing it didn't sound like it made much sense. "Like, a woman who has a child by an ex, and then marries some other guy." _Okay, that made more sense._

"The child would have been the product of a previous relationship and not infidelity," Hunter reasoned. Why was she trying to rationalize the situation like this?

Stephanie blinked and nodded reluctantly. "You're right," she admitted. "However, do you think the man would have that big of a problem being around or raising a child that was a product of a previous relationship? No, he would not."

"Previous relationship, Stephanie. You cheated! You were still married to me and you went and fucked another man and managed to get pregnant by him!" He yelled at her in an attempt to make her understand. If he was going to eventually be able to cope with this, it was going to be on his own terms. His ridiculous wife wouldn't force him into it with her outrageous hypothetical situations.

"I'm sorry!" She blurted out suddenly. She covered her mouth in horror, realizing that this was the first time she had actually told her husband that. Tears welled up in her eyes as she said, "I'm sorry," in a softer tone. Despite the fact that she now knew she hadn't actually done anything wrong, she had still never apologized. Not even when she had cried and begged him to take her back. She hadn't apologized when Hunter thought she was faking the entire pregnancy. She hadn't apologized when she was in the hospital. The words didn't leave her mouth during the month she'd stayed with him.

The fact of the matter was that back then they both believed that she had cheated and was having a baby by Chris Jericho. And she'd never said sorry for that. She didn't have any idea why that was. Because she had been more sorry for that than she had been for anything in her entire life. But, in her quest to salvage her marriage the words somehow failed to leave her lips.

Hunter took a deep breath as he looked at her. All these months, that's what he really wanted to hear from her. He was about to give up hope that she would ever apologize. All she ever did was come up with reasons and explanations as to why he should take her back. Half of the time the reasons didn't even make logical sense. The snarl on his face was replaced by a slight smile. He opened his arms to her and she immediately fell into them, crying uncontrollably. He started to feel bad as her tears soaked through his shirt, knowing that he could have prevented some of them. He quickly dismissed that thought; he couldn't have just told Stephanie that she needed to apologize – that would defeat the purpose of it. This was something she needed to do on her own, not be pushed into doing.

After a couple of minutes, he pulled back to look at her face. "We're getting out of here."

She sniffed loudly and wiped at her eyes. "What?"

He smiled. "We're leaving the WWF."

Stephanie's currently blue-green eyes widened considerably. "Hunter, you can't do that. You have to be on Raw."

"And maybe I will be again. Right now, my pregnant wife needs me around. I'm sure Vince will straighten out Bischoff if he throws a tantrum." He shrugged.

"Hunter, you can be around for me and still be on Raw." Hunter had another motive – she could tell. Clearly she would just have to go through a few layers of bullshit to make him say it.

"Yeah, but not all the time."

"I can travel with you. I could even come to the arena's for as long as possible."

Hunter chewed his lip. Stephanie just had to be so stubborn all the time. Why couldn't she just be happy that he wanted to be with only her for a while? "That's not a good idea. You'd be putting yourself and the baby in danger."

"How so?"

"People hate us, Stephanie. Forget the fact that the baby isn't mine biologically because as soon as people find out we're not at each other's throats they will come after you. Just like they always have." _There's some freak stalking you. You damn frustrating woman!_

Stephanie shook her head and a slow smirk crossed her features. "My father would never let anyone touch me while I was pregnant. He'd grind their ass for even thinking of harming me."

"Damn it, Stephanie." He sighed exhaustedly, rubbing his temple.

She laughed at his dramatics. "Okay, now that you've run out of bullshit reasons for us to leave, do you care to tell me the real reason?" She smiled at him innocently.

"No." Hunter said simply.

Stephanie pouted. "But, Hunter…"

He chose to ignore the adorable pout. The one that could usually make him cave on most reasonable things. "No, Stephanie." He stated more firmly. "You just need to do as I tell you on this one. You know I wouldn't suggest this if I didn't think it was absolutely necessary." He placed his finger under her chin to make her look at him.

"Yeah…" She agreed hesitantly.

"Do you trust me?"

She looked up from the floor to stare into his eyes. "Yes," she confessed. Her lips curved into a small smile.

He kissed her briefly, satisfied with her answer. "Then pack your shit and let's go."

Stephanie laughed loudly. "A sweet, caring moment and then your foul mouth."

Hunter chuckled. "I couldn't help myself. I knew you would laugh."

Most of the plane ride was spent in silence, with Hunter lying across Stephanie's lap, and her across his back. To anyone else it would have looked awkward, but neither of them could be more comfortable. Eventually Stephanie woke up, as the baby began to kick her. Stephanie guessed Hunter could feel the baby kicking him in his back, as his head shot up from her lap. He sat up straight and leaned over, rubbing her stomach gently. Soon, the baby settled down and Stephanie's tense body began to relax.

She turned her head to look at Hunter. He shifted his gaze to hers as he grabbed her hand in his, and kissed the back of it and she smiled, and turned away.

Stephanie's brow crinkled a bit as she debated on whether or not she should talk to Hunter about what she was feeling. Sure, she knew she had a quick route to getting her husband back – simply telling him that Chris Jericho had manipulated so many different situations. She was so tempted to just tell him that she had never cheated on him and that this baby she was carrying was his. She couldn't help but feel foolish and feel like she was torturing herself by not telling Hunter the truth.

Somehow, in her mind, she told herself it made sense to save the truth for another time. She wanted Hunter to take her back under his own terms and not because he suddenly found out she hadn't done anything wrong. It didn't seem like that would be fair to her. They'd fought for quite some time and it didn't seem right for it to simply 'stop' just because the truth came out. Sure, they were at each other's throats, but there had to have been some truth to the mean things he had been saying to her. Some true feelings were coming out on both sides. If she suddenly revealed the truth, what was supposed to happen? Was Hunter just supposed to apologize and then they'd be happy all of a sudden? _Hell no._

_It's a test of his love._ She reasoned with herself – if Hunter managed to be with her after all of this, it would prove that their love was undying and could survive whatever obstacle was thrown at it. This wasn't the first, and with their luck it probably wouldn't be the last time that somebody tried to interfere in their marriage. She needed to know that they were strong enough to survive these pathetic breakup attempts. Frankly, if they weren't, there was no use in telling Hunter anything just yet. In the long run, it would end up in heartbreak, as their marriage would crumble under pressure, anytime he thought she had done something wrong.

Stephanie knew she was thinking too much. She knew she was reading way more into this than any normal person would. Then again, she wasn't normal – not by a long shot. Her mind worked in ways that others could only dream of.

"What are you thinking in that pretty head of yours?" He asked, seeing the confusion on her face.

She took a deep breath. "Are we back together?" She asked in a whisper. Upon seeing his reaction and not being able to read it, she focused her gaze on their joined hands.

Hunter sighed. He couldn't let her shut down on him, nor did he want to give her a straight answer. In all honesty, he didn't know. He figured they would just get used to being around each other in a close proximity again. Then when things were as good as they used to be, he would make it official. That was the problem, though. As much as he was trying to make it work, he wasn't sure if things would ever be the same again. How could they possibly get to that? In a few months there would be a kid running around that reminded him of Chris Jericho. Hunter inwardly sneered; the fucker had taken advantage of his drunken and depressed wife that night and now they were stuck with a permanent reminder of it. _Not stuck. I won't take out my anger with Jericho out on Stephanie's child. I'll treat him or her as my own._

"Thank you." Stephanie's voice broke him out of his thoughts.

He looked up at her, confused. "For what?"

"Being willing to treat the baby as yours." She grinned.

Hunter blinked. "I said that out loud?"

"Yeah." She laughed. "If you're willing to do that, doesn't that mean we're back together?" She asked hopefully.

"I - not just yet, Steph. All I can say for now is that I love you and I'm willing to try to make it work. Only time will tell." He pressed a kiss to her cheek.

Stephanie nodded, satisfied with that answer for now. "I love you, too." She laid her head against his shoulder, content with the idea of sleeping for the rest of the trip to Washington.


	25. Out Of Sight

I did something I should've done long ago...change the rating to Mature. LOL. I stayed up all late to write this out and am SO hoping I don't pay for it when I try to wake up in less than 6 hours haha. Enjoy! It's mostly just filler! Currently, s**t hits the fan in ch. 27. But, since the conclusion of the stalker stuff happens over 3 chapters, I'm thinking of not having another filler chapter and instead just fast-forwarding time by about a week, summarizing and jumping right to it. As it's currently written out, this will end at ch 31. If I skip having the next chapter totally just be filler, it'll end at ch. 30. I'll let you guys mull it over, while I sleep on it :-D

* * *

Tuesday, May 14, 2002

Hunter juggled their duffel bags and suitcases while Stephanie reached under the welcome mat, retrieved the key and unlocked the door to the spacious, one-story house. He'd called up their old real estate agent and had him use his connections to get them into this place on such short notice.

He had no idea how long they would need to be here. But, as of now they were leasing it on a weekly basis. The house had 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. It was more than enough space for the two of them.

They'd taken Vince's plane to Ontario, California. Really, they could have taken it all the way to Washington. But quite frankly Hunter trusted absolutely nobody except Stephanie with their final whereabouts. And even she didn't know that they would be taking a strange route. She thought the corporate jet was taking them straight to Washington.

Vince had previously been known to put his daughter's well-being on the line for his own personal gain. And Hunter wasn't about to take that chance. Especially not while she was pregnant.

So upon reaching Ontario literally a few minutes after their talk, Hunter had them ride around town in a taxi, with no exact destination for nearly half an hour. Finally, he spotted what he was looking for. A car with a dollar amount and phone number written on it. Stephanie had been utterly confused as to what the hell he was doing and why. But, he wouldn't tell her anything. All he would say was that it was necessary.

The asking price of the vehicle was only a thousand dollars. Hunter paid double the amount simply to avoid a myriad of paperwork. For some reason, he didn't want there to be a record of the transaction. They'd loaded the trunk and backseat with their things and hit the freeway around 7:30 p.m.

Stephanie had no clue what in the hell was going on or why he was being so secretive. But, she also knew that asking wouldn't get her anywhere. Except into a fight with him. So, she'd simply crossed her arms over her chest and stared out at the uninteresting scenery for the four hour drive into Las Vegas.

It wasn't until they hit Barstow and Vegas advertisements became more frequent that she even realized where they were going. She tried not to get her hopes up. After all, this was the city that they'd married in. She was nostalgic and thought that it was a good sign that when they were trying to mend what was broken between them, he'd come here.

Wisely, she'd kept her thoughts to herself. It turned out that she'd been wrong. They arrived at the Las Vegas International Airport and attempted to set off for Seattle, Washington. She was so confused she could hardly think straight. And if she was being honest, she was the slightest bit bitter that they hadn't dropped by the chapel where they'd married. And that he hadn't so much as mentioned what this city was for them.

Earlier, on her family's jet that she assumed was taking them to Washington, they'd come to the agreement that they definitely still loved each other and were going to try to make it work. They weren't together officially.

But, it was a step in the right direction. Emotionally, her guard had gone down just a little bit. But, Hunter's need for secrecy apparently hadn't wavered in the slightest.

They had missed the last flight out by about an hour. Only red-eye flights to the East coast were available. Plus, their connecting flight would be in Salt Lake City, Utah whose last departing flight was at ten. They'd grabbed a hotel, caught a few hours sleep and headed out to Seattle later that morning.

Once their last plane had landed and they'd grabbed their bags, they'd taken a shuttle to the long-term parking lot. She'd eyeballed him speculatively while he stalked around a burgundy, 2002 Toyota 4Runner. It looked like he was stealing the damn thing.

Instead, he'd smiled triumphantly when he found a set of keys stashed on the side of the front, left tire. When she asked how the hell he knew where to find them, he'd shrugged and claimed he had connections.

He programmed the in-dash GPS for an address she wasn't aware of and he followed the highway until it ended. It looked like they were in the middle of nowhere. There were houses and establishments around. But, they were scattered and each was at least half a mile apart from anything else. He pulled onto a dirt road and a few minutes later he stopped in front of a house that was totally unfamiliar to her.

Having arrived safely, he decided to quell her curiosity a little bit. Their previous realtor had found this house for them and arranged for the vehicle.

After Hunter and all of their belongings were in the house, she shut the door behind them and locked it.

She stayed by the door and placed her hands on her hips, tapping her right foot impatiently.

Hunter turned around and asked, "Yes?"

"Are you going to tell me why we took a limo to a private airport...passing up a major airport along the way...to fly into suburban Southern California, buy a random car and drive to Las Vegas just so we could fly to the middle of freaking nowhere Washington?"

"I told you already," he sighed. "It's not safe for you to be around the business right now."

"We could've gone back to Greenwich," she squeaked out angrily. "We could've gone anywhere, Hunter. I feel like I'm on some super secret spy mission or something."

Hunter rolled his eyes and chuckled. "Stop being so dramatic. It's not that bad."

"Not that bad?" She asked in disbelief. Her eyes widened and she yanked back one of the curtains and gestured to their surroundings. "There is no civilization in sight. The stores are far, the neighbors aren't close. And there's a damn forest behind us! You bought a random car and ditched it in Vegas. And you had a random truck waiting for us at the airport in Seattle. You obviously put some thought into this and I can't figure out why. I don't know why you won't tell me why."

"It's for your own good, Steph. I'll tell you what you need to know."

Stephanie narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm not a child! Whatever it is, I can handle it. Don't treat me like I'm some fragile object."

"Is it so bad that I just want to look out for you?" He asked tiredly. "That I want you to be protected and don't trust anybody else to do it?"

She sucked her teeth and threw an arm up in the air in defeat before walking over to take her bags from him. "Goddamn it," she hissed under her breath. She had no comeback argument for that. It meant a lot that he cared about her enough to do this. But, she knew there was more to his strange, secretive behavior. There was a reason he had gone through all this trouble.

To her, it was clear that they'd gone into hiding. Deep hiding. He purposely picked this obscure location, rather than someplace more scenic or exciting. While she would probably enjoy spending time with him once she'd calmed down, she just wished she knew what the hell brought this about. She didn't like being left in the dark. Especially when she would be living in some tree and dirt-covered town in some house she'd never been to, for God knows how long.

Thursday, May 16, 2002

Shit. Hunter had disappeared. The man had bailed on his own main event match on Monday. The lie Vince used to cover for him was that he'd been struck down with a case of food poisoning.

That would've been believable if it wasn't for two very important facts.

The first was that no illness or injury could keep the guy away from his matches. He'd proven that time and time again.

The second was that Stephanie had also disappeared.

It was far too coincidental. So, he'd taken it upon himself to verify their whereabouts. They had each checked out of their respective hotel rooms. But, they weren't in Greenwich. He'd staked out the house all day on Tuesday and hadn't spotted any signs of life from inside the mansion.

They were in hiding. And he had no idea where to begin searching for them. Raw had been held in Los Angeles, California. There were many transportation options in the area. Most of which were located at the Los Angeles International Airport. Yet, that's not where they had headed. All he knew was that the Corporate jet had taken them from a small, private airport in Santa Monica, California to the international airport in Ontario, California.

It wasn't all speculation. Money could buy information. Especially if the seller thought that what they were providing was harmless.

And maybe the information was harmless. With or without it, he still had no idea where the hell Hunter and Stephanie had ultimately gone. It was pretty obvious that they'd likely taken the jet simply so they could get to a major, non-local airport quickly. One or both of them had figured out that LAX would be the first place anyone would look for them. The jet would be back to the private airport in Santa Monica with more than enough time to scoop up the remaining McMahon's after the show.

Fuck, he didn't mean for this to happen. Yes, he had wanted both Vince and Hunter to know that he had been tracking the Princess' movements often. He wanted to strike fear into both of their hearts at the fact that he could've ended her life already if he had wanted to.

But it didn't cross his mind that they'd immediately stash her in some unknown place. That was a miscalculation. Frankly, both men had such big egos that he assumed neither of them would admit that they weren't adequately prepared to deal with a threat to her safety.

Any fool could see that Hunter and Stephanie were still very much in love with each other. But, their situation was complicated. He hadn't anticipated that the man would take it upon himself to see that she was out of harm's way.

So, he'd underestimated what some people would do for love. Even complicated love.

That was stupid of him. He knew exactly what love could make you do. When you lost it, it made you kill. It made you lash out and want to inflict the same type of pain on everyone who deserved it.

He had loved her immensely. Now she and their unborn child were gone thanks to Vince, Hunter and Stephanie. And it was up to him to make things square.

Vince would lose a child and a grandchild.

Hunter would lose his wife and child. There was nothing more fair or appropriate than that. He'd been following her around since the beginning of February and was always aware of what Chris Jericho had done.

Stephanie would lose her child first. He'd make sure of it. Then she'd lose her life, just as his wife did.

He didn't expect to get away with this. Not by a long shot. Quite frankly, it was hard to live with himself, knowing what he had done. These days, he lived for the prolonged torture he was inflicting on the McMahon-Helmsley family. Once that was over, it didn't really matter what happened to him. A part of him hoped that the cops would take him down in some sort of violent, epic shootout. It would be a poetic way to end it all.

When his wife lost their child...it killed him. He hadn't even known she was pregnant. And it was his fault that the baby was gone. He'd lost his temper in another one of their numerous fights. He'd roughed her up a bit.

He swallowed back the bile in his throat and rubbed his hands over his face. Fuck, he was falling apart just thinking about it.

But he had to. He had to remind himself of why he was doing what he was doing. He couldn't lose focus. Couldn't lose sight of the goal.

His wife's no good family had disowned her for being with him. They thought he wasn't worthy of her. Wasn't worthy of being a part of their family. He was just some dumb jock. After wrestling he'd have no future.

That's why her body hadn't been found yet, he was sure. To his knowledge, at the time of her death she hadn't been in contact with anybody from her past. There was no one to notice that she'd gone missing.

No one to rightfully accuse him of being the one who'd made her disappear.

It's not like he remembered what the hell happened. He had shown up at her new residence in an attempt to reconcile with her. He'd given her a bouquet of her favorite flowers. She'd slapped at them and made petals fly into his face. They'd argued loudly on her doorstep. But, she was in a somewhat secluded neighborhood and no one was around to hear or intervene.

The last thing he remembered was grabbing her arm in an attempt to make her understand that she was everything to him. He wouldn't live without her.

When he came to, they were in her spacious backyard. His t-shirt was a mess of blood – her blood – and dirt. She was already halfway buried. There was nothing for him to do but throw his shirt into the medium-sized grave and finish up her resting place. He sat the ruined flowers atop the mound, left and never returned.

He'd grieved in his own way about it on the drive back to his home; the one they used to share. He'd thought long and hard about how things had got to this point.

Eventually, he'd reached the conclusion that Vince, Hunter and Stephanie needed to pay for this. It was their fault that the wedge had been driven between he and his wife. If not for them and their behavior, the hundreds of arguments wouldn't have been started. Therefore, he wouldn't have lost his cool and knocked her around that one time. It was all a domino effect that began with those three.

But, revenge would be all the more sweet if the payment was slower. See, his wife and baby had been taken from him suddenly. There was no time to process what was coming. In the blink of an eye it was all over. The pain was quick.

His plan was to drive the two men into an absolute frenzy, right before he made the woman vanish forever. It was all planned out in his head. He had a nice spot picked out for her in his backyard. In fact, he had two more packages of pictures to send, right before he would have taken her away.

Now, the plan needed to be modified. As soon as he found her, he would strike. He didn't need any more unpredicted complications.


	26. Stay

(cough subtle, brief clues to identity located in chapters 10 and 14 cough). LOL. Thought I'd go a teensy bit deeper as far as the background of the mystery man. It's still fairly vague, but gives some insight as to why exactly he's blaming the McMahon-Helmsley clan for the way his life has ended up. Hunter and Stephanie's scene is just here to be fluffy and to kind of summarize how their interactions have been going. Enjoy!

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Friday, May 17, 2002

Stephanie lingered in the doorway of Hunter's room, watching him toss, turn and mutter unintelligibly in his sleep. This was the fourth night this had happened. Being that he still wouldn't tell her what they were running from, her guard had gone back up. Because it hurt that he wouldn't confide in her. Was it that he didn't trust her with the secret? Or did he just think she wouldn't be able to handle it emotionally?

If he wanted to open up about whatever was tormenting him in his sleep, he would. She wasn't about to reach out to him only to have him shoot her down again.

Since they weren't actually back together, they had opted to sleep in separate rooms. Stephanie was hormonal and pregnant and neither of them wanted sex to complicate matters.

Sex itself wouldn't have been the complication. But the fact was that for them it was never solely about physical pleasure. Their hearts would tell them they were back together, even though their minds knew differently. Hunter could probably take it. But Stephanie wouldn't be able to.

The night that they stayed in Las Vegas, the only hotel room left at the late hour was one that had one king-sized bed. Unless they wanted to go out at midnight and drive around until they found another vacancy, the room at the Mirage would have to do.

Hunter was pleasantly shocked that he hadn't had the nightmare, but had kept it to himself of course. He figured that he was able to sleep through the night because he knew Stephanie was safe with him. It seemed that it only worked when she was actually in the bed next to him, though. Because on the very first night in the rental home, he'd had the nightmare again. He was going to chalk it up to coincidence, until it happened the following two nights as well.

"Don't hurt her," he mumbled as he threw an arm out to the side.

Stephanie's eyebrows drew together in concern and curiosity as she silently walked farther into the room. _Don't hurt who? _She wondered inside her head.

"No," he protested softly but firmly as he shook his head against the pillows.

She pressed her lips together thoughtfully. She had no idea if she should wake him up or not. The prior nights she hadn't. And other than looking nerve-wracked and sleep-deprived the following mornings, it seemed to have turned out fine. God, she just wished he would open up to her. About something. Anything, really. Maybe it would give her the courage she needed to tell him that he was going to be a father and that they'd spent the last couple of months fighting and hurting for nothing.

Distractedly, she rubbed her swollen stomach to settle the baby down. He or she wasn't kicking, just moving around and giving her a strange fluttering sensation. A low sigh escaped her and she turned, with the intention of going back to her room.

"Stephanie," Hunter said behind her.

A guilty flush of red stained her cheeks. How the hell was she going to explain being in his room at nearly midnight? _Always the option of telling the truth, _she thought reluctantly. She turned around to face him and explain herself.

But, her mouth parted and her head tilted as she comprehended the scene. Hunter was definitely still sleeping. So the dreams were about her, then. About someone trying to hurt her. Now she was more curious than ever. But, if something terrible was happening to her in his dreams, it explained a couple of things.

It explained why he looked like he hadn't slept in weeks.

And it explained why they had come here. He must have been trying to prevent whatever had occurred in the dream from happening in real life.

This whole time, he just blew off her questions by saying she was in danger from the people in the WWF. To her, it seemed like a silly reason to drop off of the face of the planet. But, if he was having some ominous dream about someone harming her, she could understand.

He was a proud kind of guy and probably didn't want to admit that a dream had chilled him right down to the bone. Despite the fact that she wanted him to talk about it, she'd leave it alone for now. And she'd stop being so difficult in trying to pressure him into telling her what was up with their hibernation.

Briefly chewing her lip, she walked over to the side of the bed that he was lying on. She placed her hand against his cheek gently, before leaning down to press her lips against his.

To her surprise, when she tried to pull away, one of Hunter's massive arms came around her waist and kept her where she was. "Stay," he demanded gently without even bothering to open his eyes.

"Okay," she agreed without hesitation. Hunter scooted over in the bed and patted the newly vacant space in an inviting manner. She climbed under the sheets beside him and forced herself not to let out a giddy squeal when he shuffled closer to her. She could feel the warmth of his body and it was intensified when he draped his arm across her and buried his face in her hair. Moments later, his slowed heartbeat and deep, even breathing alerted her that he was asleep again.

Saturday, May 18, 2002

He was no closer to finding Hunter and Stephanie than he had been a few days ago. And it was frustrating the hell out of him. He was on decent terms with the McMahon-Helmsley family. Hell, he might have even been on good terms where one or more of them was concerned. There was no immediate reason why any of them should suspect him of being the culprit. He'd been ridiculously careful and there was no way he could be caught for it. At least not until he wanted to be, anyway.

Even though his wife – or ex, depending on how one wanted to look at the situation – had been dead for almost four months, it felt like he'd been crafting this revenge plan forever.

There were times when he'd been allied with the family. But, more often than not he had opposed them.

Matches lost, title shots lost, titles lost, injuries given...

The things he and the family did to each other was like Russian roulette or something. And it would take too much damn research to figure out who had done the most damage career-wise. Really, it didn't matter. Because as always, eventually things had become personal. He'd been too caught up in the perks of having the first family of wrestling on his side. So much so that he hadn't appreciated his wife. He'd disrespected her both publicly and privately. And to a lesser extent he'd allowed the McMahon-Helmsley's to do so as well.

He was too blind to see what he was really doing. He was just mad and thought she was trying to stand in the way of his success. A part of him believed she was mad that she wasn't experiencing the same success.

Yes, he'd belittled her. Yes, he'd talked down to her.

Unfortunately, he'd let his temper get the best of him and he hit her. He'd watched as her light-colored hair had fanned around her face as she fell backwards over their coffee table. Though she clutched at her stomach, she refused his help.

He pressed his palms to his eyes, willing the images to fade. The baby was gone and so was his wife. All that he had was this one last plot for revenge. One that would even out the scales for good. Right now they were tipped too far in a direction that wasn't his. And that just wouldn't do.

They hadn't stopped him from being a terrible husband; they'd egged him on. They'd contributed, rather than letting him know he was going too far. He saw it for what it was now. When they were done utilizing his talent, they'd have discarded him. With his marriage irreparably damaged, he'd have no one. They would have gotten everything they wanted out of him. And he would've had nothing.

Well, he had lost what they undoubtedly wanted him to. But he still had _something. _He had his plans. That was it. Everything else failed to matter.

He removed his big hands from his face and picked up the 9mm gun lying at his side instead. He pressed his lips together as he turned it every which way, admiring it. It seemed like the smart thing to do would be to keep it nearby at all times. Hunter couldn't keep Stephanie hidden away forever. One of them would get restless and demand freedom. Or someone who knew where they were would slip-up. He didn't care which situation came to pass. He just knew he'd stay ready for that very opportunity around the clock.

Monday, May 20, 2002

Hunter adjusted the strap of his duffel bag nervously. He hadn't discussed today's plans with Stephanie at all. She eyed him speculatively, but remained silent. He cleared his throat. "Well since the WWE is in town I figure a surprise appearance is in order. I skipped out on my last match."

Stephanie opened her mouth to ask a question but Hunter held up his hand before she could start. "No, you're not coming. You're going to stay here, where I know you'll be safe."

"But, Hunter!" she whined. "The only reason I haven't gone out of my mind with boredom is because you've been here. What am I supposed to do to keep myself occupied while you're gone?"

He shrugged. "The arena isn't too far and I won't be gone long. I don't care what you do as long as it doesn't involve you leaving here."

"I feel like a prisoner," she said with a pout, sinking into the cushions of the couch.

"I'm sorry, Steph. But, you know it's necessary-"

"Yeah, yeah I know. Because people hate us and might try to hurt me." God, she was growing tired of that reason. Especially when he was holding back on the full explanation of it.

He nodded and gave her a quick kiss on the lips.

Suddenly, she brightened and sent him an angelic smile. "Do you have to leave right now?"

"I'm anxious to get to the arena ASAP and get back here to you," he narrowed his eyes at her cheerful attitude. "What's up?"

"Well," she droned as she batted her eyelashes sweetly. "Since I'm a prisoner and all, I was wondering if I could have a conjugal visit from you? You know, something to tide me over," she smiled again. Screw the emotional consequences. She was bored and her hormones were raging.

"No time," he told her before grabbing his coat and rushing out of the front door before she even had a chance to protest.

"What the hell?" Stephanie asked herself out loud as she threw her arms in the air in defeat. _He won't touch me! I bet this has something to do with him thinking I'm carrying another man's baby. Yet again, I have no one to blame but myself. I don't have the slightest clue as to how I should begin that conversation, but I have to tell him the truth soon, before I die of celibacy. _

She needed to get on the computer and find a physician in the area. It was time for her once a month checkup. Maybe if she could get the doctor to say how far along she was out loud, it might help her get the talk with Hunter started. _  
_


	27. The Quicker, The Better

I cannot confirm or deny the suspicion's on the stalker's identity. Well, at least not until the end of this chapter :-D...ENJOY!

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Monday, May 20, 2002 (con't)

It looked like Hunter had forgotten his cell phone in the cafeteria. This was too easy. He searched through the contacts list until he came across Stephanie's name. His big fingers keyed in the text message on the other man's phone.

_I want to send you a little gift. What the hell is our current address again? LOL._

He waited just a mere minute before she replied. That was good. The quicker he got this done, the better.

_You're the one who found this place! How did you forget, you dork! LOL. 93801 Bear Road. Hillside, Washington 98433. What are you sending me? :-)_

At first, he wasn't going to reply. But, he changed his mind.

_A big surprise. _

She replied a few seconds later.

_Can I at least have a hint? You always at least give me a hint. _

Instead of responding, he put the phone down on the table where he'd found it. This was perfect. She was close. Only a mere fifteen to twenty minute drive from where he currently was in Tacoma, Washington. And a simple internet search revealed that the area was surrounded by woods all around.

The timing for Hunter to show up couldn't have been more perfect. Because quite honestly, no one knew or no one was revealing where they were. Another opportunity like this wouldn't present itself. Hunter was a man who made very few mistakes.

In general, so was he. But, he had absolutely miscalculated his and Vince's reaction not too long ago.

It was time to end the riddles and the games and take care of business.

Hunter walked down the hallway in search of his partner. They needed to go over the game plan for their match against The Hardy Boyz tonight. He hadn't given much thought to strategy because he had been worrying his head off about Stephanie. He was keeping her in as secure of a location as he could find. It was secluded – the only house within perhaps a half mile radius. It wasn't that easy to find unless you knew where you were going because it was surrounded by woods and located just off of a dirt road.

Yet, he still couldn't shake his anxiety. Those factors could possibly work against them if someone found out where she was. But, that wasn't possible. Quite frankly he didn't trust a single damn person with her whereabouts. Not even her father or brother. They'd understood his paranoia and just insisted that he do whatever it took to keep her safe.

No one knew where she was. So why did he feel like leaving her alone tonight was a huge mistake?

The dream-version of Stephanie flashed through his mind and he winced instinctually. That's when it hit him that she'd been wearing his blue t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants today. Christ, he was going to be a mess every minute he was away from her, at this rate.

"Hunter!" Someone shouted behind him.

Every muscle in his body tensed, fearing the worst. He quickly spun around to be met by an out of breath Jerry Lawler. "Found this in the cafeteria on the table."

His hazel eyes widened and he patted down his pockets. Sure enough, his phone wasn't there. He reached out and took it from The King's outstretched hand. "How'd you know it was mine?" He asked with a grin. Inside, he was trying not to freak out. It wasn't like him to leave his personal items lying around like that. Especially not something as important as his phone. This was a testament to how out of sorts this whole stalker business had him.

Lawler gave him a knowing smile. "The screen saver is Stephanie."

Hunter felt the burn of blood rushing to his cheeks in embarrassment. "Oh, right. Thanks King."

The older man laughed and patted Hunter on the shoulder before going back in the direction he'd come from.

"You seen Austin around? I can't find him anywhere," he called to his retreating form.

The King shrugged and furrowed his brow in confusion. "He left not too long ago. Said he had a personal emergency."

Hunter turned back around, thoroughly confused. It wasn't uncommon for the talent to leave the arena for a little bit. The traveling schedule was hectic and you had to fit things in when you could. Still, they had agreed to meet up about the match before the show started.

But, he wasn't Austin's damn gatekeeper. He didn't have to stay apprised of his whereabouts. As long as they got this done, he didn't give a damn. Quite frankly, he was a little pissed off that Vince had taken advantage of him being here tonight. He'd simply shown up to see if he or Shane had found anything out about the mystery man. Not only did they not have any useful information for him, but Vince had convinced him to do this match tonight.

For half an hour, the three of them had racked their brains. Whoever was doing this, was specifically paying back Vince and Hunter. Somehow, hurting Stephanie was this person's idea of a fair trade, for what they'd cost him.

Vince was an adulterer. But as far as he knew he hadn't ruined anyone's father-daughter relationship.

Hunter had been a bit of a male slut before meeting Stephanie. But, he hadn't ruined any marriages.

The brainstorming session had to have been the most unsuccessful one of his life. They were no closer to figuring out who was doing this or why than they had been before the meeting. And he didn't like it one damn bit. Not when his pregnant wife's safety was on the line.

Hunter went into his locker room and found an envelope with his name on it. Unlike the others, this was handwritten. But, the scrawl wasn't familiar.

_Soon, you'll feel what I feel. Game over._

There were about a dozen pictures inside of the envelope. His hazel eyes barely spared them a glance. It didn't matter what was in the pictures. It only mattered that by the tone of the note, whoever was after the two of them was planning to strike. Immediately. He pulled his phone from his back pocket, with the intention of calling Stephanie. He was going to tell her to start packing up their stuff because they were getting the hell out of Washington before someone figured out where they were staying. That's if someone already hadn't.

Vince could take the tag team title match and shove it up his selfish, opportunistic ass for all he cared. Hunter was trying to protect Stephanie and hadn't intended to be gone longer than an hour or so. Instead, her father had insisted he do this match tonight. He'd guilt-tripped the hell out of him and reassured him that Steph would be fine.

How could he guarantee that shit? The man didn't even know where she was.

As he keyed in Stephanie's number, his phone started to ring and the picture of her smiling face popped up.

Hunter took a deep breath. He was going to remain calm. The last thing he wanted to do was freak her out. As soon as he told Vince off, he was coming back to her. "Hey gorgeous. I was just about to call you."

"The hormones are making me impatient. I wanna know what my surprise is. Or at least when I'll get it," she responded jokingly.

Hunter's forehead creased in confusion, but he laughed. "Steph, what are you talking about?"

"My surprise. You texted me saying that you didn't remember our address here. And that you needed it so that you could send me a gift. Your memory sure is awful today," she snickered.

Hunter felt the color drain from his face. He left the envelope and photos exactly where they were and didn't bother to grab his duffel bag before he exited the room. Up until a few minutes ago, he definitely didn't have his phone. Someone else clearly did and they'd tricked Stephanie into revealing where she was. "Listen to me very carefully, Stephanie. Okay?" As he spoke, he began to jog in the direction of the building's exit.

The amusement left her and was replaced by dread. Why was he being so serious?

"Someone's been stalking you for months. That's why we went away. They've been sending anonymous notes and riddles directed at me and your Dad, but last week they sent pictures of you. Going as far back as you trying on wedding dresses." Hunter knew that he was dropping too many bombshells on her at once. This should have been handled more delicately. But right now there was no time for that. He needed her to understand how much danger she was in. "There was also a picture of you unconscious after your car accident."

"What?" She squeaked out.

"I didn't want to worry you, baby," he said with a sigh. "Just to keep you safe. I promise. I somehow left my phone lying around earlier. I didn't send you that text."

"Then who did?"

"I don't know. I don't care. Just get the hell out of that house, Steph. Stay safe until I can get to you."

"Where am I supposed to go?" She cried. "There's woods everywhere and no neighbors in sight. We only had one car and you took it. Hunter, I'm stuck!"

Hunter rubbed the back of his neck tensely. God, he'd made a poor choice in safe house locations. "Hide. Hide anywhere. Keep your phone with you. I'm already on my way." He ended the call and ran across the parking lot to their rental SUV. All he hoped for at this point was that whoever was behind this hadn't already set off after Stephanie.

Not more than ten minutes later Stephanie heard the sound of tires crunching gravel. She had yet to find a suitable hiding place. She was still trying to process the fact that she was in abrupt, grave danger. That someone had followed her movements and caused her to crash her car. That someone had nearly taken her out once already and was likely poised to try again.

The knock on the door momentarily startled her because of its suddenness. But, it didn't otherwise unnerve her. Stephanie eased herself from her position on the couch and made her way across the living room before a realization struck her and her eyes went wide. "Hunter has keys," she whispered to herself. "Shit! Oh shit," she whispered frantically while glancing around for somewhere she could conceal herself_. He would've warned me if someone were coming by. What if this is the stalker? _She heard the person's footsteps and she instantly dropped to her hands and knees and crawled behind the couch. She saw the person's shadow as it moved from the door and over to the window.

"Steph, it's Steve. Hunter sent me to check on you."

Her eyes narrowed as she stared at his silhouette from her spot behind the couch. _He's lying!_ _What kind of idiot does he take me for?_ _I can't count the number of conversations Hunter and I have had where he told me he didn't trust Austin to do anything other than back him up in the ring. There's no way in hell he would send that man to check on me. Especially without giving me a heads up; he knows I'd be wary. _She reached one of her long arms to the spot where she had been sitting, feeling around for her cell phone. Once she grabbed it, she immediately put the little noisemaker on vibrate, before scrolling through her phonebook trying to find Hunter's name. She sent him a text message saying, "Should I be expecting company?"

She continued to hide behind the couch for a few more moments until she finally heard Austin sigh loudly. "Fine," he drawled impatiently in his thick Southern accent. "If you won't let me in I'll just let myself in." The next thing she heard was his footsteps retreat down the porch steps.

Alarm struck her and she got to the back door as fast as she could, to make sure it was locked. It was, and she breathed a sigh of relief. _He can't get in here, thank God. _She let out a yelp as she heard loud banging on the front door. She went back to the living room to see large dents in the door. _He's going to beat it in! Oh my God, he's going to kill me! I have to get out of here. _She placed her phone in her pocket and again went to the back door. This time she unlocked it and ran outside. At this point she wished she and Hunter hadn't shut themselves off from civilization, holing themselves up in this concealed house, with no neighbors close enough to help her.

She flattened herself against the side of the house and made her way towards the front. With all the noise Austin was keeping up, she knew there was no way he would hear her coming. _I'll steal the asshole's car, that's the only way I'm going to get out of this. _She was so caught up in her own thoughts that she hadn't realized the banging had finally stopped. Nor did she hear the sound of the back door opening. She continued to creep her way to the front, finally stopping when she heard his voice from behind her call out, "Bitch, get back here!" Deciding it was too risky to try to steal the car – being that she had no idea whether or not the keys were there, and he was too close for her to waste time trying to hotwire it, she figured her best chance lay within the house. She ran down the gravelly path until she reached the front yard. She tried her best to ignore his heavy strides behind her. She flew up the steps and into the house, slamming what was left of the beaten door. She knew it was pointless, but hopefully it would slow Austin down just long enough for her to get what she needed.

Stephanie got to the master bedroom and yanked open the closet, grabbing the baseball bat that Hunter had put there when they first arrived. She felt her phone vibrate in her pocket, but she couldn't chance answering it. When she heard Austin open the front door, her grip around the bat tightened and she got into her stance. His footsteps were heavy, loud, and coming her way slowly. One of his feet stepped into her view and she narrowed her eyes and charged. Stephanie yelled as she swung the baseball bat with her eyes closed. She didn't know where the hell she was hitting Austin, but she knew she was getting something, so she kept pushing forward, continuing to knock Austin further into the living room. The adrenaline coursing through her body was amazing and that was probably the only thing that kept her swinging for so long.

When she heard a loud thud she finally stopped swinging, opened her eyes and looked down to see Austin lying on the floor at her feet. He had multiple knots on his head, as well as a fair amount of blood flowing from one of them. She sighed heavily, satisfied that he was out cold for the time being. She dropped the bat and ran a hand through her hair quickly.

Shaking her head in disbelief at what just happened, she pulled her cell phone from her back pocket. Out of habit, she began pacing back and forth in front of the couch as she keyed in speed dial number one and waited for her husband to pick up.

"I just tried calling you," Hunter blurted out as he accepted the call. He was about to ask her what the hell she meant about expecting company. But, he didn't get the chance because her panicked, jumbled rambling interrupted him. He literally couldn't understand a single thing she said.

"Calm down. Tell me what's wrong."

"It's-it's Austin, he-"

Hunter's eyes went wide as he heard Stephanie scream before the line went dead. He needed to get to her. Now.


	28. The Facts

The ending part with Hunter was actually supposed to be the beginning of the next chapter LOL. Once ch. 29 is up, you'll see why I decided to shift it. In this one you get Austin's retarded, crazy-man explanations (cause let's face it, nothing can really justify what he's doing...at least not logically)...and a good, revealing, emotional scene out of Hunter. It still leaves a lot of suspense so I didn't mind putting this up right away. Enjoy!

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Monday, May 20, 2002 (con't)

Stephanie swallowed hard as she continued to sit on the couch. Austin had either been playing possum to a certain extent or had regained consciousness quickly. Before she knew what was happening, he'd snatched the phone from her hands and roughly threw her down onto the couch. He'd screamed obscenities and vulgar names at her that revolved around having his head busted open.

As if she wasn't frightened enough, he pulled a gun from his back pocket and aimed it right at her. He'd stared at her menacingly and she'd tried – unsuccessfully – to shrink into the couch cushions and disappear. She didn't mean to, but she'd let out a quick, terrified cry. And he'd harshly told her to shut her fucking mouth and sit up straight.

A heavy silence descended over them after that. She stared up at him wide-eyed and full of fear as he simply paced back and forth in front of her. Every few seconds he'd rub his head, scowl at the blood on his hand and narrow his eyes at her. That had been the pattern for the last two minutes and she couldn't take it anymore.

"Why are you doing this to me?" Stephanie questioned. She flinched when Austin rushed over to her and backhanded her across her cheek. She poked the inside of her cheek with her tongue and tried not to wince at the coppery taste of blood.

"Did I say you could speak?" He yelled directly into her face, a grin spreading across his lips when she furiously shook her head no. He raised his hand to hit her again, but decided against it when she whimpered. "Why? You want to know why?"

Stephanie was too afraid to speak, nod or do anything else. If she could figure out a way not to even breathe, without dying from the lack of oxygen, she would do it. She would do whatever it took to keep this lunatic from harming her and her baby.

"When I ask ya a question, ya damn well better answer me," he screamed at her.

"Yes," she shrieked back. "Yes, I want to know why." Somehow she managed not to flinch when Steve reached out and stroked her cheek briefly. But her complexion paled as she tried to read the answer in Steve's eyes. Other than fury and lunacy she couldn't really make out anything. But, she desperately hoped he wasn't planning to rape her.

His voice dropped considerably. It was almost gentle now. "First of all, Princess, not everything is about you," he told her in a voice that was similar to a parent trying to explain a delicate situation to a child. "That Daddy and that damn husband of yours are to blame, too. Because of the three of ya, I lost everything I ever loved," he gestured to himself.

Hurriedly, she scanned her memories for what the hell this maniac was talking about. She came up with nothing. At least, nothing recent. She hadn't been told to speak, so she feared asking him anything and settled on furrowing her brow in confusion.

On his fingers, Steve ticked off his list. "I lost matches, championships, title shots and a year off my damn career. That there was mostly cause of your Daddy and your husband, even though you pitched in to help them. But you..." he paused, took a second to study her, wrinkle his nose in disgust and shake his head. "Because of you, I lost my wife."

_Oh, Jesus. Help me, _she panicked. How would she ever talk her way out of this if she couldn't figure out why he wanted to hurt her in the first place? Having wrestling as a career was perfect because you got to fight the people you hated, mostly without getting in any legal trouble. _So, fight Hunter. Fight my Dad, you crazy bastard! Hell, fight me when I'm not pregnant, if you want. Just don't do this!_

Risking another hit, because she just had to know, she asked, "How did _I _cost you Debra?"

"During that damn alliance I had with your damn family, _Stephanie,_" he spat. "Ya treated her like a damn maid!"

A failure of epic proportions. That's what this was. She failed to understand how in the hell it was somehow her fault that his marriage to Debra ended. Even if it was her fault, she failed to come up with a logical reason for why Steve was doing what he was doing.

Steve's expression softened and his tone was laced with regret. "I treated her like a maid, too. Maybe I even did it first. But she was okay! She was okay until you and your little husband joined in. That's when all the damn arguing started. I think having you, another woman treat her that way was what made her the most mad. Because all she ever talked about was how ticked off she was that I didn't stand up for her. That I made her get the frilly, special drinks you requested. She never let it go. Not even during the Invasion. One night, in November we got into it again real bad. I was already pissed off that the Alliance lost and wasn't in the mood for that shit. I ended up knockin' her around a bit. I hit my Debra; I didn't know she was pregnant. But she was and she lost it and she left me," he rambled. "Packed up her shit and left me. The only thing she left behind was a restraining order."

"I'm...sorry?" Stephanie tried to say, but it came out as a question like it had been in her head. Sure, she was sorry for how she had treated Debra. But sorry that the woman had left an abusive husband? Not so much. In her opinion, Debra did the right thing. Her current predicament was proof that Steve had completely gone off the deep end. Debra had been lucky to escape him before that happened.

"Ya should be," he agreed waving the gun at her, pleased when she shrank away from it. "So I got to thinking. You three did that to us. You took away other things that I loved on a consistent basis. What do you pack of mealy mouth bastards love?" He tapped the gun against his head, considering. "Some of the same things as me. Power, championships...more power," he added. "But that was too easy. It wasn't enough. I had to go deeper," he insisted. "An eye for an eye" he pointed at his own eye for emphasis. "You see?" He questioned.

Stephanie nodded. _No. No I don't see. I don't see how what you're doing makes us even._

"Both of those jackasses love themselves. And they love you. You love them, you love you...and you would all love..." he trailed off with a sinister smile.

Fear encompassed every molecule of her being as she watched Steve's eyes drop to stare at her stomach. Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around her belly. _It's okay, I will do everything I can to save you, _she thought towards her stomach when she felt a soft thud of protest.

Steve snapped out of his trance and lifted his head. With a pleasant, casual tone he said, "So I figure. You and Hunter in particular took away Debra...took away my chance at being a Dad. Right? Right. Well, for starters let's take away your chances of being parents. Then let's take away _you _so that Vince and Hunter know how that feels...to lose a wife and to lose a child."

In her head, Stephanie tried to process what had just been explained to her. Fact one: Stone Cold Steve Austin was undoubtedly a crazy person. Fact two: Debra had grown sick of being mistreated, let him know it and wound up being abused. Fact three: aforementioned abuse caused her to miscarry a child. Fact four: Somehow, Steve figured this was their fault because they hadn't stopped him from mistreating her and even enjoyed perks such as sending her out to get coffee. Fact five: Steve had also decided that they must pay; must lose what he had lost.

"Do you want to know how I'm gonna make that happen?" He leered at her. "Sure you do, I'll tell ya!" He closed the distance between them, to tower over her. "I'm gonna let you say your little prayers, to whoever it is you pray to, while you beg me for your life and for the life of that disgrace you're carrying. Now, comes the best part," he whispered, delighted at her shiver when he lightly trailed the butt of the gun over the side of her swollen abdomen. "I'm gonna shoot you right here."

"No!" Stephanie cried, shaking her head. "Please! Please don't. I'll give you anything!"

He shushed her. "No need to beg yet, Princess, we ain't started yet. As I was saying. I'm gonna shoot you right there so that the bullet will come out of the other side. So you'll know, you'll be sure that that thing you're carrying is dying. Now I'm no expert but I reckon you'll bleed out from that alone. You'll lie there and bleed to death, knowing you've lost what you love the most. When your family finally finds you, they'll know it, too. They'll know exactly how Daddy's Little Princess, Mrs. Game and mother of Triple H's spawn, went out." He went silent for a moment and appeared to have shifted his train of thought, because the look on his face softened. "I went out to Debra's new place in late January. It had been months since she left I thought she'd have calmed down. Maybe forgiven me since it was a new year. But she didn't. I lost it. It broke my heart into pieces when I realized I killed Debra. You deserve to suffer the same fate she did. It's not fair, otherwise. And I think what I'm gonna do to you will break Vince and Hunter's hearts, too...just like mine broke. Don't you agree?"

Fact six: Steve had killed his own wife. Stephanie sucked in a sharp breath. She didn't have time to wonder how much her death would break her father and her husband's hearts. She was too focused on how her own was breaking.

Because the six facts and the look in Steve's eyes led her to fact seven: her and her unborn child's life would most certainly end, right here in the middle of nowhere, unless someone came for them soon.

"We're going to take a walk in the woods," he announced as he grabbed her arm, violently yanking her up from the couch and shoving her towards the front door.

Outside, the sun was setting. There was still light out, but Stephanie could also see the faint imprint of a full moon in the sky as she stood on the front porch with her arms crossed over her chest, refusing to move. She changed her mind once she felt the gun pressed into her back and Austin hiss, "Get moving," in her ear. She heard the scrape of the shovel as he picked it up. It was likely what he'd used to bash the front door in.

Reluctantly, she moved down the steps and into the yard as Austin and his gun guided her away from the house and towards the entrance of the woods. Once they were in, Austin removed the gun from her back. A few moments later Stephanie stopped walking and turned her head slightly, to see Austin a good 10 feet behind her, but he still had the gun out.

"You can put the gun away, you know," she told him. She knew that he was doing it to cover his own ass, but she could still try to reason with the man. Truth be told she was more worried about Austin randomly losing his patience with her, waving the gun around and setting it off. The man was a loose cannon so she'd rather not take any chances.

Austin shook his head and smirked. "Just in case you decide to try anything funny."

"I'm pregnant!" she stated incredulously. "What can I do?"

He shrugged and said, "I don't know, but that McMahon pride always gets you guys in trouble." He waved the gun in her direction "Keep walking," he ordered.

"You're a marked man, Austin," she said through clenched teeth. "When my husband finds out what you did, you'll get yours."

He shrugged. "I expected no less. Fine by me, I don't really want to live without Deb anyway."

"You son of a bitch!" She hissed. "How about you just leave me the hell alone and just kill yourself, then?"

Austin said nothing; he only rolled his eyes and pointed the gun at her, gesturing for her to get moving. The only sounds were their footsteps, and the echoes from them crunching on leaves and twigs as they made their way through the woods. To Stephanie, it was noisy, but from what she could tell there was absolutely no one around to hear any of this. _No one to hear me. Whatever he's planning to do to me, I hope it's quick. Or that someone finds me. The latter would be a million times better, but if not, then I vote for quickness. God, I'm rambling in my own head. This isn't helping it's only making me more afraid. _She winced in silence as her baby kicked her. _Even my baby wants me to stop thinking about it. How could I have been so damn stupid? I should have kept hitting him until he had no pulse! My baby won't even have a chance; it's trapped inside of me. _

Suddenly she had an idea. Her hands went to the side of her head and from Austin's view it would look like she was just grabbing her hair in frustration. Veiled by the curtain of her brown hair, her slender fingers quickly unclasped her earrings and she kept her hands in her hair, deciding to let the earrings to fall where they may. Mentally, she patted herself on the back at her genius. She jerked a bit as her baby kicked her hard. It just so happened to be at the same time the second earring fell.

"Hey!" Austin called out from behind her.

She stood frozen in place. _Oh, God, he saw that! He's going to kill me right now._

"Walk faster!" he screamed at her.

She turned around to face him. "I can't," she told him pitifully. "I'm tired and my baby is kicking me."

"Want me to take care of that?" He yelled, aiming his gun at her stomach.

She immediately fell to the ground shaking her head vehemently, wrapping her arms around her stomach protectively.

"Do you want me to finish it all right here?" He gestured to their surrounding area.

"No! Please!"

Austin rolled his eyes and then grabbed her right arm, yanking her to her feet. "Then walk faster, damn it," he said lowly, with his jaw clenched, before pushing her forward.

_I have to stop panicking,_ she told herself. _Just keep my cool, dry these tears and concentrate. My husband is the Cerebral Assassin. I couldn't have been married to him this long without some of that rubbing off on me. I can't let Austin win. Not without a fight. Even if I can't beat him, I can buy myself some time. Time for Hunter to find me. _

"I think this is far enough," Austin said a few minutes later.

Stephanie stopped walking and took notice of where they were. It was a small clearing. Trees were all around them. They seemed to be hovering toward her, like nosy witnesses who were eager to watch but unwilling to do anything to stop this. Obviously he had come here before coming to the house. There was a rope lying on the ground ominously.

Austin threw the shovel down next to her. "Dig," he commanded harshly.

Stephanie looked at him in amazement. "Are you nuts? I'm nearly 6 months pregnant!"

"I wouldn't give a damn even if you were in labor. I'm gonna make you dig your own damn grave, Stephanie. You're gonna dig a nice, wide, deep hole out here until I'm satisfied with it!"

Stephanie's legs felt drained of all energy and hope. Austin was just out of her reach, so she wouldn't be able to swing and successfully hit him with the shovel. _Maybe I can throw it at him, I used to play softball, _she thought hopefully. _But, no. No, no. Hell, he recovered so quickly after I bashed his head in with that baseball bat. Throwing a shovel, with my limited strength would probably only stun him for a few seconds. Not enough time for me to put a good distance between us. And he's got that damn gun. As soon as he recovers he'd probably shoot me. Though, he could've done that a while ago. Obviously he wants me to suffer as much as possible. Bastard would probably shoot me in the leg instead of someplace more fatal._

"Are you deaf?" Austin questioned her. "I think I said to start digging!"

Stephanie looked at the ground for a moment. _So this is my final resting place, huh? In the middle of the woods, kept company by some trees, leaves and moss. _She winced, her baby kicking her as she bent down for the shovel. _I know, baby. I'm stalling as much as I can. _Reluctantly, her fingers went around the shovel and she lifted it from the ground, carefully easing herself up to stand again. She took a deep breath, planting the shovel into the ground. She wasn't even aware she was crying until she saw the tears fall into the soil she was about to dig up.

About forty-five minutes later, Hunter raced down the dirt road as fast as he could. Of all days, today had to be the one where a traffic accident held up the highway. That had set his drive back for at least thirty minutes. Because he was unfamiliar with most of the area, he hadn't been able to take an alternate route. He couldn't risk getting lost and getting to Stephanie even later than he already would.

His breath caught in his throat when he saw the pickup truck parked in front of the house. There wasn't another house for at least half a mile. No way did someone park down here to go see somebody else. He jumped out of the car and ran towards the front door, pure fury engulfing him as he realized it was beaten wide open. He wasn't stupid; he knew he needed to proceed with caution just in case Austin was still there. He gently pushed the door open, peeking around the living room. Panic struck him as he saw the blood on the floor. _Whose blood? Stephanie's?_

Immediately, he shook the thought from his head. His gaze was focused on the carpet as he followed the trail of blood over to the couch. The familiar panic crept into his senses yet again when the trail stopped right by Stephanie's cell phone, which was also on the floor. Inattentively, he picked it up, closed it and placed it in his back pocket. He eyed the small puddle of blood once more. His legs went weak and he dropped to his knees – his chest congested and his entire body shaking in an attempt not to lose it.

He had never felt this helpless. The only exception to that was when Stephanie got ran off the road and ended up the hospital a few months ago. She had looked so fragile laying there in the bed with all the wires hooked into her. He remembered the relief that flooded him when the doctor told him how lucky Stephanie was – that most 8-week pregnancies wouldn't have made it._ That's my Stephanie; she's a survivor. An exception. She always has been._ _I've never put up with as much in a relationship as I have with her. Maybe that's what love does to you. I have no clue what I'm going to do if I don't find her. _

Suddenly, his head shot up and he said aloud, "8 weeks? If she was 8 weeks when the son of a bitch ran her off the road, then…the baby is mine." _I don't know what the fuck is going on with this Jericho and baby situation anymore. But I do know that Stephanie and the baby – my baby - need me and I refuse to let them down. We can sort everything out later._

Hunter picked the baseball bat up from the floor. He figured he might need it at some point. He left the house, practically flying down the steps and making his way over to the pickup truck. He pretty much found nothing; an empty package in the backseat and a receipt on the dashboard. He exited the truck, running his hands through his hair in frustration. _Wait, this stuff isn't nothing, _he told himself. _Some of this crap may tell me what he's done with Steph. _Hunter got in the truck again, carefully scanning the items. The receipt was for a shovel and a rope. He looked over the rest of the truck – including the cargo bed – and didn't find the recently purchased items.

His forehead crinkled in confusion. He looked back towards the house, lifting one of his hands to rub absently at his temple. _Where could he have taken her? He doesn't have his truck and there's nothing here but woods. _The dream-version of Stephanie screamed in his mind. As he again recalled that Stephanie had been wearing his blue t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants today, he suddenly comprehended. "God, he's going to bury her alive!"He quickly fished out his cell phone, dialing 911 and informing the dispatch lady of his whereabouts, as well as what was probably happening. He also told her – rather rudely – to send someone out here as soon as possible.


	29. Always

Welllllll, what was supposed to be the beginning of this chapter, ended up being moved to the beginning of the previous chapter. Consequently, this chapter was a few hundred words shorter than it was supposed to be. To compensate, I added some stuff at the end which will transition us into the next chapter! Enjoy! :-D

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Monday, May 20, 2002 (con't)

Hunter ran until he reached the entrance of the woods. His hazel eyes scanned the ground, looking for any indication of which way Austin had taken Stephanie. He wasn't as familiar with these woods as he should've been, considering the predicament he and Stephanie were in as well as the fact that he'd picked this place. But, he did know that the woods only stretched on for a mile or so. He was in good shape – he was prepared to run through the entire damn thing if he had to. He tried to reassure himself that Stephanie was okay; that he was on the right track. That Stephanie had been through this very path not long ago. It was the only thing that was fueling him mentally right now. He came to a slow jog, holding his hands in front of his face as something shiny reflected into his eyes. He walked over to the twinkling object and hope flashed through his senses. It was one of the earrings Stephanie was wearing today. Pocketing the small silver hoop, another flash of hope went through him when he saw the second earring about ten feet in front of him. Stephanie was close. She had to be; he had been tearing through the woods for a few minutes already. It took him less than eight to run a mile.

Nearly an hour had passed since Stephanie had started digging. The hole wasn't even knee-deep yet. She was no longer crying, she was sweating. Between repeatedly pitching soil a few feet away and her baby kicking her, she was exhausted. Despite her best efforts to dig at a leisurely pace, she was going much faster than she personally wanted to. The reason was because after maybe ten minutes of digging slowly, Austin had started yelling at her to stop slacking. Right before he fired a warning shot into the air. Stephanie shook her head at the memory. If there was any doubt in her mind about how serious he was, it had vanished at that very moment. Just the simple fact that he actually had bullets in the gun was enough for her.

Stephanie took her eyes from her task for a moment, casting her gaze on the silhouette of Austin. He was standing a good ten feet away from her area. Probably didn't want to get hit with a pile of dirt. If he was standing close enough, she would do just that. She couldn't see his face because the sun was behind him, but she wondered if he was watching her. After all, she'd been digging for such a long time. She didn't know how deep he planned for her to dig but somehow she figured that knee-deep fell short of what he had in mind. He was probably daydreaming by now - bored that even though she was clearly moving faster, she was taking forever to get this done. She was nearly 6 months pregnant and Austin was armed. Surely he couldn't have imagined that she would be much of a threat. _That's where you're wrong, _she thought angrily.

The arena was only fifteen or twenty minutes away. Hunter should have been here by now. Either he wasn't coming for her or something was holding him up. Or he simply had no idea where to look for her. Either way, she was quickly running out of time. She had no idea how much deeper Austin wanted this hole to be. Nor did she want to find out. She wasn't going to wait until she accidentally accomplished the goal. He would shoot her and kill her baby and shove her into the hole she'd dug. He'd leave her out here to die slow, painfully and alone. _I already know what happens if I don't do something, so I might as well take a chance. I'm doing this for you, _she thought, touching her stomach briefly, smiling when her baby kicked her hand. She continued to dig in silence, plotting her attack on the man above her.

A couple minutes later she called out, "Hey Austin!"

"What?" He asked rudely.

"You have to take a look at this."

"What?"

"I don't know what the hell it is," she told him irritably. "I think you better take a look at it and decide if you want me to keep digging here."

Austin snorted and made his way over to where Stephanie was.

Stephanie muttered, "Come on you S.O.B." as she watched his form advance towards her. As soon as he was hovering directly over the hole, she threw the dirt that was currently in the shovel, into Austin's face.

He groaned loudly and spat, "You bitch," at her as he doubled over, rubbing at his eyes.

Her eyes narrowed as she swung the shovel at his bald head. He inadvertently dropped his gun into the hole as his hands went to his head, while he backed away from the hole. Stephanie flinched when the gun went off, but was thankful the bullet simply drove through one of the walls of her would-be gravesite.

Stephanie steadied herself, planting her hands into the dirt as she prepared to lift herself to ground level so she could beat Austin some more. Her blue eyes went wide in shock as she heard a loud crack, followed by seeing a broken-in-half baseball bat go flying in another direction. Austin arched his back and yelled in pain, before falling to his knees, groaning loudly.

"Throw me the shovel," Hunter's voice called out to her right before she saw his handsome face appear in her line of vision.

Stephanie tightened her grip on the shovel, before pitching it over to her husband. It landed pretty close to where he was and he picked it up from the ground.

Adrenaline and rage coursed through his veins as he swung the shovel at Austin. Each yell of pain he gave, only seemed to make Hunter angrier. Angry that the bastard was still conscious – and in some ways- alive. The shovel connected with Austin's head, spine, arms and abdomen several times before the bastard lost consciousness. Austin was lying flat on his back, his arms above his head. Hunter took another swing at Austin's mid-section, just for good measure. When Austin didn't move or make a sound, Hunter was satisfied. He turned and ran over to his wife, who was still standing in the hole looking shell-shocked.

Hunter bent down and extended his hands down to her. "Are you okay?" He asked her as he pulled her up to where he was, frantically looking her over, but finding nothing other than bruises on her arms.

Stephanie shook her head no, promptly buried her head into his chest and started crying hysterically. Her hands clung to the middle of his back like she was afraid she'd float away if she were to let go. Maybe she would.

His questions came out rapidly. "Are you hurt? Is it the baby?" Nothing appeared to be wrong with her other than the bruises. But, he'd heard the gunshot. Maybe in his quick scan, he'd missed something.

She didn't respond verbally. She just shook her head no again and continued to cry.

Hunter sighed heavily and wrapped his arms around her, placing his chin on top of her head. "It's okay, you're safe now," he told her softly, running a hand through her hair.

"I just – I can't believe you're here," she said shakily after a few minutes. She pulled back to look into Hunter's eyes. "I thought I was going to die; I didn't think you'd come back for me in time. Or maybe even not at all."

"I'll always come back for you," he told her, placing a lingering kiss to her lips.

Stephanie was silent for a moment as if she was in deep contemplation. "I'm a sweaty, dirty, fat mess. How could you want to kiss me?"

He laughed at her. It was a desperate, relieved laugh. "You're not fat; you're pregnant. I don't care about sweaty or dirty. You're alive and not injured. You've never been more beautiful to me."

Their tender moment was interrupted when they heard a low, gurgling kind of noise come from Austin's direction. They looked over to see that he was still out of it and hadn't moved an inch.

Hunter and Stephanie returned their attention to each other and remained wrapped in their as they waited for the authorities to arrive.

_I have to tell him about the baby and Jericho tonight, _Stephanie decided. Today had shown her how short time could be. Then again, the last week in general had shown her that. One moment was all it took for your life to be flipped upside down. It didn't escape her notice that she really could have died today. She'd have gone down fighting, of course. But, the fact of the matter was that Austin had several inches, more strength and over one hundred pounds on her. To top it off, he also had a gun. Even if he was smaller, that was a game-changer.

She'd fought him because she'd had no other choice. She knew what would happen if she just did as he said. So, she had to take the chance. It turned out to be unnecessary since Hunter arrived to help her. But, that wasn't the point. The point was that she'd been in mortal danger. And it had made her realize a few things. Namely the fact that if Austin really had taken her out, Hunter probably never would have known the baby was really his. He never would have known that she didn't really cheat on him. He'd still grieve for her. But, he'd be hurt over what happened to her as well as what she'd done to him.

Now, she and the baby were safe and sound. Hunter deserved the truth from her. He deserved to be in on every aspect of her pregnancy. Not as an onlooker but as an active participant. Because she'd stayed with him for a month, he already had been very active previously. But this would be different. He'd actually be happy to be around.

Already, they'd both caused each other so much pain over the situation. All she was doing was prolonging it. At first, it might be difficult to take in that this whole Jericho fiasco had been one big waste of time. It would take a little bit for him to really process and be okay with that.

But, he loved her. He'd told her so and he had proven it in so many ways recently. She didn't know if her revelation would change that. She hoped not. Even if it did, she still had to do this. And she had to do it tonight.

Hunter held Stephanie close to him and breathed her in. Under the scents that the wooded area had created, he could still pick hers out. He committed the smell to memory because he very well could have lost her forever today. Between them, the baby kicked. He grinned, amused at the fact that the little one had kicked both him and its mother in the stomach simultaneously.

He still wanted more information on the paternity issue. But, he didn't want to stress Stephanie out. It was possible she didn't even realize that the initial doctor must have made a mistake. From the tape that played during their wedding renewals, he knew that the man wasn't above taking money to provide false information.

And after her car accident, Stephanie had initially been sedated. The doctor had told him so. Then, Hunter had talked to Shane and gone down to the police station. So there was no way she could have orchestrated for the doctor to make up how far along she was.

Because she had heard him admit that he still loved her, he knew that she'd been somewhat conscious, though. But even people in comas were rumored to be able to hear people talking to them. So, that didn't mean much. It meant more than she'd kicked Chris Jericho out of her life. Being that he had taken Stephanie in and provided for her, there had to be a good reason why she did that.

Not actually being her child's father seemed as good a reason as any.

He knew he'd get the truth eventually. For the sake of his sanity he just hoped it was sooner rather than later.


	30. Trust

Thank you all for the lovely reviews! So in the beginning of this one, we've got a bit of a summary of the events right after the prior chapter. Then, we go into Hunter and Stephanie's talk. The epilogue (don't know if it should be called that...it picks up in September and then goes into November) will be posted shortly :-D. ENJOY! And many thanks for sticking with me on this one!

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Monday, May 20, 2002 (con't)

Stone Cold Steve Austin was arrested for breaking and entering, assault and attempted murder. The bruises on Stephanie's arm and swelling from where he'd hit her in the face added weight to the case. As did the fact that the front door had been beaten in and that the shovel used to do it was purchased with the man's credit card. It was verified that the gun - registered in Austin's name - had been discharged, which brought the charges of attempted murder into play. Stephanie told the police what she knew about him murdering his own wife. She wasn't sure where the boy was buried, but suggested that by the story Steve told her, it was wherever her last known address was. Or someplace nearby.

They were both fearful that Hunter would be charged with some form of assault. But, they'd exaggerated a little bit and claimed that Austin had lunged forward with the gun and inadvertently dropped it. Therefore, Hunter had no choice but to attack him to protect Stephanie.

The cop who took their statement was an astute man around the same age as them. And they could tell that he didn't buy it. Hunter and Stephanie stood with their arms around each other, trying to read the gaze in the other man's gray eyes. He'd cracked a small smile and said, "I'd have done the same thing for my wife," before moving on to other parts of what had gone down.

Austin had stirred and opened his eyes, but hadn't otherwise tried to attack either of them. He wiggled around on the ground a little bit. Hunter could only assume that the neck injury of his had been re-aggravated. Though he'd cracked him across the spine with the baseball bat, the man had been hit with the shovel in various places. He'd be lucky if he didn't have a head and spinal injury. Judging by the fact that he seemed to be unable to stand up, it was very possible that he did suffer various injuries at their hands. It was what he deserved and then some.

An hour after Raw had begun, Vince called Hunter. No one had seen him or Austin for several hours and he was wondering what the hell was going on. After Hunter had – using very colorful language, in Stephanie's opinion – chewed Vince out for prioritizing his company over his daughter's safety and informed him of what had happened, Vince apologized profusely. Hunter told Vince he didn't care about the tag title and that Austin wouldn't be around to be a champion either. The titles were vacated and would be up for grabs in a match featuring several of the top tag teams in the company. It was planned for the pay per view in just two weeks time, but he hadn't nailed down the specifics of the match.

Because Stephanie hadn't actually informed anyone that Chris Jericho wasn't her baby's father, Shane had felt it necessary to apprise Chris of what Stephanie had been through today. He'd called and Hunter answered the phone. Despite being more than intimidated by the bigger, angrier man answering the phone, he had apologized. He had no idea that she was actually being stalked. He just knew that someone was toying with the family in general, but hadn't looked into it more deeply. He was sorry that under his watch, she could've been hurt. Chris could tell that Hunter had no idea of what the truth was about himself, Stephanie and the baby. But he was sure that Stephanie had her reasons for keeping the information to herself. He felt that after all he'd put her through, he should give her the opportunity to handle the situation as she saw fit.

Thankfully, because they were in some rural town, the press hadn't got wind of this yet. Though thoroughly shaken up, Hunter and Stephanie were functional. They'd packed up their things and checked into a hotel. They had demanded seclusion and didn't want people - not even family - hovering around them. They just wanted to spend time together. The couple was able to somewhat relax for the remainder of the evening. But after a physically, mentally and emotionally draining day, they decided to call it a night early. This time, Hunter didn't bother trying to sleep without Stephanie lying right next to him.

Tuesday, May 21, 2002

"We need to talk," Stephanie announced, detangling herself from her husband's embrace and sitting up in bed.

Hunter groaned and threw a hand over his face in an attempt to shield his eyes against the light that Stephanie had just turned on. After a few moments of low muttering and cursing, he finally shifted his hand and looked up at her with one half-open eye.

Stephanie snorted, in an attempt not to laugh. It was probably her hormones, but even still, it was pretty funny to listen to him all but protest the light. And now, there he was looking lazy-eyed.

Hunter rolled over to get a peek at the digital clock. He turned back to Stephanie and said, "Steph it's after 3 in the morning. You better not have woken me up just to laugh at me."

She lifted a curious brow. "And just what would you do if I had?"

He shrugged. Not because he didn't have a smartass answer, but because she had been through enough lately. He didn't want to make threats – ones that they both knew he would never make good on – that would make her think of the horrible events that happened less than twelve hours ago involving Stone Cold Steve Austin.

As always, she saw right through her husband's silence. She cleared her throat uncomfortably and decided to get this conversation underway. If she didn't, she may just turn into a chickenshit and never be able to. "The baby's yours," she made herself rush out, before she had a chance to lose her nerve. Blue eyes searched hazel ones for a reaction. And she didn't find the one she was looking for. Her husband didn't look at all surprised.

Hunter's response was the epitome of cool and calm. "How long have you known that?"

"Right before we skipped town," she admitted.

"Right before we-" he trailed off and gave a chuckle. He ignored the look on Stephanie's face. She was in the same state of mind as him: confused. "Why?"

"Why what?"

Now, his eyes narrowed and his tone of voice rose, "Why didn't you tell me? Hell, we got into an argument right before we left. So why didn't you tell me the truth?" He was completely awake now and completely pissed off. He threw the covers from his body and moved to stand up, and a few moments later he was on Stephanie's side of the bed towering over her. "What is it with you McMahons? Are you all allergic to speaking the truth? What, do you feel physical distress or does your throat get dry and close up if truthful words are about to come out of your mouth? Or does the concept of truth evade you completely?"

Stephanie bit her lip, trying not to interrupt him. When he was finally finished she said, "I didn't want you to be with me again just because the baby is yours."

He threw an arm up into the air. "Well hell, Stephanie, the baby should be mine anyway since I'm married to you!"

"You don't get it!" She finally lashed out at him. "You were so unsure of us being together again. You refused to make it official. I didn't want you to change your mind and take me back just because of that."

"No, _you_ don't get it! You slept with another man and got pregnant! _And_ you initially tried to pass the baby off as mine!" He yelled, and then stopped himself. "Well, you let me continue to think you were pregnant by him. It's one thing to forgive your infidelity. It makes things so much more complicated to be pregnant by it. Do you know what that means, Stephanie? That would have meant I'd be subject to seeing more of Chris Jericho. Not only would I be seeing him in the face of the child, but I'd also be seeing more of the real deal, since he would've wanted to be around for the kid. I couldn't honestly tell you I'd have no problems with any of that. I could do forgiving, but forgetting would never be an option."

Stephanie looked at her hands, which were folded in her lap, for a few moments. Then, she started fiddling with her wedding ring. She was going to get another tongue lashing from Hunter. She was sure of it. But, even still, she had to tell the truth. Secrets – even ones that made sense in her head – always came out and Hunter was usually not okay with them. "I didn't sleep with him," she said lowly.

"What?"

Finally she looked up at him, then directed her attention to the wall when she said, "I didn't sleep with Jericho."

Hunter had no questions or comments for his wife at the moment. His brain had been in pissed-off-at-Stephanie mode for what seemed like forever. It didn't seem to know what to make of this admission of hers. Basically, what she had just said were that these past few months were wasted time. Time he could have spent loving her and their child. But instead half of the time had been spent arguing and fighting with Stephanie. The other half was spent trying to sort out his feelings for her – wondering if he'd ever be able to get over the daggers that she threw at his heart. This time was wasted for…nothing really, it seemed.

Stephanie eyed Hunter as he sat down on the bed next to her. This wasn't what she expected and she wasn't sure what to do about it. She was used to yelling when she'd done or said something he thought was stupid. But silence? _I've really done it this time, _she thought. She figured that since Hunter had nothing to say to her, that she should start explaining. "I had a dream but it was more like a memory. I saw everything that happened between myself and Jericho. After that, I knew I hadn't slept with him; I'd actually kicked him out of my room. I wanted to know how the tricky bastard ended up in my bed the next morning, so I forced myself to go to his hotel room and butter him up. I told him I loved him and that I'd still love him even if the baby wasn't his. He sang like a canary, telling me that he'd waited in the shadows while I took a shower. Then when I fell asleep nude that he joined me. That's pretty much it. So, I knew the baby wasn't his since we hadn't done anything."

Hunter glanced over his shoulder at her and simply nodded. "Guess that's why he called to apologize earlier," he muttered. While he was pissed off that the man had let Stephanie go on for months thinking she was a cheater and was pregnant by the indiscretion, he didn't have the emotional or mental energy to deal with it. It wasn't Chris that owed him loyalty and honesty. It was Stephanie.

They sat in silence for a couple of minutes. Finally, Stephanie couldn't take it anymore. She placed a hand on his back and her lips parted slightly as she tried to decide what to say to him.

_Here it comes, _Hunter thought. This would be one of Stephanie's classic moments. One of those that no matter how pissed off at her he was, he broke and they would be okay again.

"Please say something, baby."

Hunter closed his eyes. She sounded so defeated. Her words were spoken softly…and broken. Signals that she would cry a river soon. "I don't know what to say anymore."

Her hand traveled up his back and stopped to rest on his shoulder. "Anything. Everything. I don't care. Say whatever is on your mind."

He took a deep breath, before shifting his body to face her. The gaze in his hazel eyes was probing. "Do you want me to hate you?" He asked point-blank.

"No! That's the exact opposite of-"

He cut her off. "Then why would you want me to believe such bad things about you?"

"That's not it at all. I didn't want to trap you!"

"How would you have been trapping me?"

"Some women do that, you know. Get pregnant to hang onto a relationship."

Hunter put up his hand to cut her off. He clenched and unclenched his jaw, his frustration evident while he was trying to think of the right words to say to make her understand. "I told you I loved you. After everything I thought you'd done I said I'd work on getting past it. Why wasn't that enough for you to tell me the truth?"

All at once, the memories flooded Stephanie's brain. She remembered the conversation she'd overhead when she was just 8 years old. She was pretty sure that her father had been talking to another woman. Probably the one that he'd been cheating on her mother with. From the bits and pieces that she'd heard, she couldn't be sure as to whether this was a new mistress or one that he'd had for almost 9 years. The only thing she was sure of was the pain she felt when her father had said to the mystery woman, "If Linda hadn't got pregnant again, I would've been a free man." From that moment on, she had practically made it her life's mission to gain her father's love. Not the apparently fake love he had been showing over the 8 years of her life, but true love.

By the time she entered junior high school, she was the apple of her father's eye. Why wouldn't she be? She became Vince's female mini-me. If she could describe her father in just one word it would be egotistic. In her eyes there was no better way to get close to him than by feeding that massive ego via trying to be just like him.

Oh, but how her seemingly perfect world crashed around her in 1999. Finally there was a man who loved the business who wasn't scared to date her. Andrew. She really should have saw it coming, being that even the top guys in the business didn't have the guts to make a pass at her. Andrew was a mid-carder at best. At the time she had figured him to be extremely gutsy or extremely stupid. She hadn't been able to choose between the two possibilities so she just saw him as…sweet.

She had underestimated him. He was not gutsy; he was her father's pawn. He was not crazy; he was calculated. He was not sweet; he was a fake.

All of these were the things she had deduced while throughout their relationship he begged her to get him a title shot. Her father never listened to her ideas, he said Andrew didn't have the potential. When she told Andrew this, the bastard had actually hit her. Immediately, she went crying to her father about it and he just gave her the most sadistic grin she had ever seen in her entire life. He told her that Andrew's kind of bravery for laying hands on a McMahon might be just the thing he needed. That kind of intensity was what he assumed the young wrestler lacked.

While she had been shocked and appalled by his enthusiasm, the coup de grace came when her father actually told her to stay with Andrew because she was lighting a fire under him and it was "good for business." Weeks later her father told her that her relationship with Andrew was going to change. It was after Andrew had proposed and she was still thinking about it. A part of her jumped with glee. Maybe her father did realize how terrible he was. But, no. No, no, of course not. She should have known better. He'd called to inform her that she'd better go through with the wedding.

It was around this time that she had finally had it. She was done trying to win her father's love. At this point she didn't care if she had it. Vince orchestrating her kidnapping, torture and unholy marriage to the Undertaker was awful but somehow she had managed to forgive her father and continue trying to appease him. But this situation he was forcing onto her with Andrew had destroyed her. Select parts of her, anyway. What was left of her became known as Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley. The only kindness she ever showed was towards her husband. Looking back, she seriously regretted the fact that she had ever been a friend to Kurt Angle. Seeing as she was mean – or in some cases, neutral - to everyone else, it was easy to understand why Hunter had been so pissed off by her befriending Kurt, who clearly had a crush on her.

In some ways, Hunter had liberated her. When she approached him, begging for him to come up with a scheme to get her out of her impending nuptials as well as get some semblance of revenge on her father, he hadn't exactly jumped at the chance. He didn't care, until she had told her story. After that, he was more than willing to help her even though the situation didn't seem like it would have many perks for him. They had such a good time in the beginning of their relationship. They were having so much fun as well as enjoying the lucrative benefits of running the company. Eventually they got more than they had initially signed up for: a real relationship.

She didn't understand it then, but after what happened today, she was able to see things very clearly. With the numerous times she had turned her back on her father she always wondered why he forgave her and welcomed her back to the family with his arms open wide. Now, she saw why: she had completely become him. The most frustrating part was that she wasn't even trying to be like her father. All of the backstabbing started once she had decided to stop caring what he thought about her.

If Hunter left her, she'd understand why. And she had no one but herself to blame. _Why wouldn't he leave me? _She asked herself. _Everyone else leaves me. Or only sticks around because of what I can do for them. _

Hunter sensed her train of thought. Most of the time his anger got the better of him and he neglected to think about how much Stephanie had been through. The seemingly conniving things that she did came out of hurt and not out of simply getting joy out of manipulation. After a lot of their major arguments subsided, he always caught himself and realized what was truly going on in her head. That was part of why he always tried to stick around through their issues; she loved him completely and would do anything to save their relationship. It wasn't her fault that the way she was raised taught her all of the wrong ways to try to do that.

"I'm not your father, Stephanie. Or Andrew. Or anyone else who wasn't there when you needed them the most. I'm not with you because you're a McMahon, either."

After eyeing him curiously for a moment – trying to figure out how the hell he read her mind, she tore her gaze away from him. "Then why did you suddenly start pulling away from me when you made your return? I'd lost my McMahon privileges and then just like that," she snapped her fingers for emphasis, "You pushed me away."

"That had nothing to do with why we drifted apart."

"Oh sure! The timing was merely a coincidence, right? We didn't drift apart you shoved me away. Funny how when we're on top of the company everything is well and good. You want me by your side and you shower me with affection. But as soon as I have no say in the business, you don't want me anymore."

Hunter placed his hands on Stephanie's shoulders and shook her slightly. "You are so off! You have no idea how ridiculous you sound right now! When I came back I needed to prove something to everybody. After an injury like that, and being gone so long, people forget who you are. I needed to remind them and show them that I hadn't lost a step. I needed to do that alone, Stephanie. I didn't want you at ringside, meddling in my matches so that people could say the only reason I win is because of your help."

"Couldn't you have just said that?" She asked him incredulously.

Hunter kept his gaze level and his voice calm. "I told you I had something to prove to everyone."

"You didn't tell me why."

He shrugged. "I didn't think I had to."

"I'm your wife!" Stephanie exclaimed. "Of course I want to know! Not wanting me at ringside wasn't typical of you."

Hunter felt a burning sensation in his cheeks. He was starting to become flustered. She was making him feel bad and he was starting to feel defensive. It wasn't all his fault that after he returned, their marriage starting falling apart. He cleared his throat. "Well, you were being so pushy about the issue and it pissed me off instead of making me want to make sure you were okay with my decision."

Stephanie scoffed, as if to say he had just made her point. She gestured with her right hand and said, "So, you shut me out?"

Hunter muttered for a few seconds before relenting, "In a way, I guess. I'm sorry, then."

"It felt like you didn't need or want me in any way. I was scared and I still am," she admitted.

He reached his hand out to her and lifted her chin, making her look at him. "Of what? You have nothing to be scared of."

She shook her head in disagreement. "Losing you."

"I need you to trust me," he pleaded with her.

"I do trust you, Hunter. More than anyone."

He shook his head and told her, "You need to trust me when I say I love you and I won't leave you."

She turned her gaze away from him. She wanted to believe him. Really, she did. But after all the close calls their relationship seemed to have had and all the times he lost his cool with her, she

wasn't sure if she could fully trust him to stick around no matter what.

"Look at what we've been through already, Steph. And we just keep coming back to each other. There are probably very few things that could break us apart for good. Hell, I don't even know what they are," he admitted with a smirk.

Once again, she shook her head and smiled sadly. "I'm afraid that one day you'll see who I really am and leave me."

"I've always seen you and I've always loved you. That's not going to change."

"You say that now…"

"I'll say that always. You're stuck with me."

"It's just-"

"We're going to renew our wedding vows."

"What?"

"You heard me," he answered without hesitation.

Stephanie simply gaped at him in stunned silence at first. "But you hated that idea."

Hunter put his hand up to disagree with her. "No. I hated the idea of renewing them on a random day in a wrestling ring in front of a live audience. I'm thinking we should do it for our anniversary. By that time, you will have had our little one," he told her as he rubbed small circles across her swollen stomach. The baby kicked his hand and he grinned. "See, the baby likes the idea. But, what does Mommy say?"

A few tears rolled down her cheeks, but she smiled. "I say that I'm sorry I'm not easy to love and that I'll try to do better. Renewing our vows is a good way to start over."

"Loving you is the easy part." His thumb traced along her cheek softly, rubbing away her tears. "Breaking through your thick skull is difficult."

She arched a finely shaped brow at him. "Should I be offended?"

"Not really. But you have to know that I can't fix something unless you tell me there's a problem. You have this habit of trying to fix things on your own and it usually results in some horrible idea," he smiled at her dryly. "I need you to stop doing that. Just talk to me; don't hold anything back. And don't lie to me. Everything eventually comes out anyway, but it tends to lead to us fighting."

Stephanie nodded and said, "I don't like fighting with you."

His lips curved up into a smile. "Glad to see we're on the same page. I just want us to be happy, sans the drama that can be avoided. You know?"

"Yeah. I agree, too. But, I can't change overnight, Hunter. I'm really going to try my hardest though."

"I should work on my temper. I'm sure you don't consider me the easiest person to talk to when it's something negative. So, I'll work on that, so you'll feel more comfortable opening up to me."

Timidly, she asked, "Promise?"

"You got it, babe."

She poked his chest with her index finger playfully and narrowed her eyes. "You better not divorce me if the process takes longer than you'd like."

He grabbed her finger and brought it to his lips, placing a small kiss on her fingertip. "Never," he told her.

Her response was simply leaning her head on his chest, comforted by the beating of his heart after his massive arms pulled her even closer to him.

"Now that that's settled can we please go to sleep?" He asked after a couple of minutes.

Stephanie laughed and slapped at his chest before leaving his arms and climbing into bed.


	31. Awake

Meh. What the hell, figured I'd double post and officially end this story. I'll only have limited internet access til Monday night haha. This ending has been written for literally about five years. You'll notice that the dialogue/quote formatting is a bit off when compared to the chapters I actually wrote recently. My fake-OCD pointed that out to me. But, hopefully nobody except me minds it. hahaha. I also recently found out that Sage is actually a boy name. But, whatever I still think it's cute for a girl. If I tried to change it I'd probably accidentally leave it typed into a sentence somewhere and confuse everyone. Trying to edit stuff is funny that way...cause you know what you meant to put and it screws with your head LOL.

Thanks to heidyurbano89. Noticed that you've been reviewing quite a few things lately. Didn't want you to feel left out, cause I generally thank people individually when I first notice them :-).

It's bittersweet that this one has come to an end but hopefully you've all enjoyed the ride as much as I have. This fic was only supposed to be 20 chapters, as it was originally written. But, the missing flash drive made me end up changing some of the middle chapters and unintentionally expanding it. Oh well. Hopefully you've all enjoyed how everything turned out. There's nothing left to say except THANK YOU and ENJOY the fluff!

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Thursday, September 19, 2002

"Fuck you, Hunter!" Stephanie screamed. "You're never touching me again! Do you hear me?"

"Whatever you say, babe."

"Don't you whatever me - I mean it! You just watch, you're looking at a lifetime of blue balls, guy!"

"Uh huh…" He murmured, and then grimaced as she crushed his hand.

"Oh am I hurting the big man?" She asked with fake concern. "Well suck it up unless you'd like to take a crack at squeezing something the size of a watermelon out of something the size of my pinky!"

"Stephanie, I need you to push," her doctor told her.

Stephanie screwed her eyes shut tightly, trying to block out the pain. "No!"

"The baby is almost here. Just a couple more good pushes."

"Are you deaf? I said no! I can't-I can't push anymore." She breathed out, raggedly. "It hurts too much."

"The pain isn't going to stop just because you refuse to push, Steph. You're only prolonging your pain." Hunter said softly, brushing the hair from her forehead. "And mine." He added.

"Who gives a shit about you and your pain?" She asked seriously. She then directed her attention to her doctor. "Fine. I'll try only because I want this baby out of me already," she stated reluctantly. She took a deep breath, and bore down, squeezing the life out of Hunter's hand.

"That's it. You're almost done. One more push like that and your baby is here." The doctor told her.

Hunter managed to grin, despite the agonizing pain in his hand.

Stephanie fell back into the pillows as she breathed heavily. "Oh, God." She groaned.

Hunter touched her cheek gently. "Come on, baby. Just one more push."

Tears sloped down her cheeks. "I can't."

"Please, Steph. For me," he begged while wiping the wetness from her cheeks.

She glared at him and moved her face away from his hand. "Oh, sure I'll rip my body in half for you!" She agreed sarcastically. "You're a selfish asshole and all of this is your damn fault," she told him. After a moment, she added, "I hate you right now!" Hunter gave her a pitiful expression and she immediately felt bad. "I didn't mean it, baby," she said softly.

"I know you didn't." He bent down to kiss her cheek.

A fresh batch of tears welled up in her eyes. "I love you!" She declared.

Hunter smiled at her tenderly. "I know, sweetheart. I love you, too."

"No matter what I've been saying, know that I love you!"

"I know, Steph." He reassured her. "I know it hurts badly but please, can you just push?" He asked her, smiling.

She nodded, sat up and took a deep breath, holding it. She grunted, as she pushed with everything she had, ignoring Hunter's pained expression. She relaxed, after hearing a cry echo through the room.

"It's a girl, Steph!" Hunter told her, to which she nodded. "I love you." He smiled and kissed her on the lips softly.

"I love you, too." She smiled and then shifted her gaze. "She's not happy." Stephanie laughed, despite her exhaustion as she watched her baby flail her arms and legs as the doctors checked her out and ran their standard tests.

Moments later, the baby was given to Stephanie. "Sage Andrea." Stephanie whispered as she stared at the pink bundle in her arms. Sage was almost the mirror image of Stephanie, as she had her nose, chin, and eyebrows. She had Hunter's ears – that was the only thing that was distinctly his, so far. Sage had long eyelashes and light brown hair with a few blond strands.

"She's beautiful," Hunter said, running his finger over her tiny hand, which was balled into a fist.

Stephanie nodded and smiled at Hunter. "Don't you want to open your eyes for your Mommy?" She asked, pressing a kiss to Sage's cheek.

"Guess not." Hunter laughed quietly when Sage merely yawned and clutched his finger.

Stephanie stuck her tongue out at him playfully. "Your Daddy is a silly man. Ignore him."

Friday, November 29, 2002

It was Hunter and Stephanie's 3-year anniversary. Stephanie looked herself over in the mirror and nodded. She was almost ready. So far, weddings weren't her thing, but she hoped that this third time was the charm. She refused to count the unholy wedding because she hadn't been a willing participant of that. And the wedding to Andrew didn't count because it wasn't ever her intention to go through with it. She was elated when Hunter suggested the idea to do this because quite frankly, she had given up on having a wedding to him go smoothly.

She had busted her ass in the gym for the last two months, leaving all of the details of their renewals to her mother and Hunter. Linda did the shopping, planning and inviting and would just come to Stephanie for approval of what she'd done.

However, Stephanie didn't let her determination to get her body back, deter her from her baby girl. She smiled as she thought of Sage. She was such an easy baby; her feeding and sleeping schedules were already set and the only time Sage strayed from them was when she had a minor cold a couple of weeks ago.

"You look beautiful, Steph." Marissa commented with a smile, placing her supplies back in her bag.

"Thanks, Riss. I owe a lot of the credit to you for that." She said, hugging her sister-in-law.

Marissa had done Stephanie's makeup for her, as the makeup artist called in at the very last minute, saying she was sick. Stephanie panicked and was about to chew the girl out, until Marissa offered to help instead.

"Knock, knock," came Vince's voice from outside the door.

"Come in, Dad."

"Ready yet?" He queried, walking into the room.

"Just about." Stephanie smiled as Marissa did a few touch-ups to her hair.

Then the door opened suddenly. "A certain someone wants to see you." Linda said, poking her head in.

"Tell Hunter he can't see me until we're at the altar! It's bad luck!" She exclaimed, her eyes wide with terror.

Everyone laughed at Stephanie's fear.

"Look, I'm not taking any chances." She explained. "I don't care if you guys think I'm paranoid but this is my third wedding to him and it's going to go correctly!" She ordered, chuckling.

Linda was completely amused. "That's nice, dear. But, I wasn't referring to Hunter. Believe me, you've scared him into not even attempting to come near you before the ceremony."

Stephanie blushed. "Oh. Well who is it then?" She detected a soft whimper and smiled as Linda finally stepped into the room to reveal a fussy Sage. "What's wrong, Andrea?" Stephanie asked, calling Sage by her middle name before taking her from Linda's arms.

"She missed her mother, apparently," Vince said, brushing a hand over Sage's back.

Stephanie kissed Sage's cheek and rocked her in her arms soothingly. She smiled, listening to Sage coo and gurgle at her. "You just wanted my attention, little girl." She grinned. "Do you feel better now?" She asked, staring into Sage's blue-hazel eyes. She laughed as Sage smiled toothlessly and babbled as she began to play with her necklace.

"I think that's a yes," Marissa observed.

"I think so, too." Stephanie said, prying her necklace from Sage's tiny hand.

"Ready yet?" Came Shane's voice as he walked into the room.

"What the f-heck?" Stephanie caught herself, not wanting to curse in front of the baby. "Is everyone that's invited to the wedding going to come in here?"

"Don't be silly, Steph. Hunter just sent me because he knows that you take forever to get ready."

"It's my wedding day…kind of. I can do that. Tell him I said to stop complaining. I know he just wants to hurry up and get out of the fancy attire." She laughed.

Shane smiled at her. "You look nice, by the way."

"Why thank you. You're looking quite spiffy yourself," she complimented him with a cackle. "Why are you trying to kidnap my baby?" She asked, as Shane took Sage from her arms.

"I am not. I'm just spending some time with my niece, since her mother takes decades to get ready." He laughed. "Doesn't she, Sage? Yes, she does. Your mother is a nitpicky perfectionist. She's driven me crazy for years." Shane cooed, laughing as Sage patted his face and grinned. "See? She agrees with me."

"You're turning my own daughter against me. Give her back." Stephanie said, taking Sage from her older brother.

"Just give her to me so you can get ready, Stephanie." Linda ordered the bickering siblings, reaching for Sage. "If I leave her in here with you, we'll be lucky to get you down the aisle by the end of the year." She explained, as Stephanie handed her over.

"Okay." She pouted and pressed a kiss to Sage's crown.

"You are done, my dear." Marissa announced, as she finished adjusting the tiara-veil on Stephanie's head.

"Finally!" They all exclaimed at the same time, then burst into a fit of laughter.

* * *

"Take care of my little girl, Hunter." Vince said sternly.

"I have been for 3 years. You need not worry." He smiled.

"Uh huh. Make sure you keep treating her right."

"Daddy!" Stephanie scolded. "Stop it!"

"Why?" Vince asked pitifully. "I'm just trying to make sure you guys have a happy marriage."

"Dad, we're already married, anyway." She said with a smirk.

"I know, but for my own benefit I was trying to pretend you weren't." He said, holding Stephanie's arm out towards Hunter.

Hunter chuckled and Stephanie sneered.

"Dad, you have to let go." She said, after trying to yank her arm free.

"Do I have to?" Vince sulked.

"Yes." Hunter and Stephanie both said.

"Oh, fine." He reluctantly released Stephanie to Hunter.

"So was I worth the wait?" She questioned with a smile.

He grinned. "You always are, but I didn't complain about how long you took."

"Remind me to hit Shane later."

"Why?"

"He came in the room saying that you sent him to see what was taking so long. Then, he tried to make off with Sage." She laughed.

"Ok I'll remind you when we get back from our honeymoon."

"Thanks."

The wedding went off without a hitch, with Stephanie and Hunter reciting the traditional vows, as they had already tried their own before.

Never thought I'd say I'm sorry  
Never thought I'd be the one to bring you down  
Now when I look out my window  
But there doesn't seem to be anyone around

And I, I think I'll change my ways  
So all your words get noticed  
Tomorrow's a brand new day  
Tomorrow's a new day

"You picked a good song, baby." Hunter said as he held Stephanie close to him, for their first dance to Forty Foot Echo's "Brand New Day."

"I know." She boasted, leaning into him even more.

We said we'd take little time  
For both of us to see  
And wonder what it'd be like to carry on  
Ya, I know I got crazy  
Well I guess that's just me  
If I could turn back time before  
The wrong

And I, I think I'll change my ways  
So all your words get noticed  
Tomorrow's a brand new day  
Tomorrow's a new day

"How did you get them to play here?" At first she wasn't going to ask, but her curiosity was killing her. All she did was tell Hunter the song she wanted for their first dance. She felt it described their situation somewhat. She never expected that he'd get the band to actually play it at the reception.

Hunter laughed. "I'm Triple H and your Dad is Vince McMahon. Need I say more?"

Stephanie shook her head and smiled. "Nah."

Ya, And I, I think I'll change my ways  
Ahhhhh  
So all your words get noticed  
I think I'll change my ways  
I think I'll change my ways  
Ahhhhh, Ahhhhh  
I think I'll change my ways

Never thought I'd say I'm sorry  
Never thought I'd be the one  
To bring you down

Everything that happened back in November of last year turned out to be both the worst and the best thing that had happened to them – to her, really. The worst: for obvious reasons and the best, because after a long, dreadful sleep, their relationship was wide awake, now.


End file.
